Ultrasound-Driven Passive Haptic Actuator Based on Amplifying Radiation Force Using Simple Lever Mechanism

Haptics is a promising modality, which realizes intuitive human motion guidance and an immersive game experience. For a natural tactile experience, a lightweight and powerful wearable haptic device is required. In this study, we develop a lightweight passive haptic device (6.2 g) remotely driven by airborne ultrasound. This device can present a strong haptic stimulus of 400 mN (40 gf) by amplifying the applied ultrasound acoustic radiation force 19.6 times using a simple lever mechanism. Moreover, since the radiation force is presented at the sound velocity, the presentation speed of the amplified force is still high. In this demo, participants can experience a lightweight passive haptic actuator worn on their fingertips. This device can present a static force of 400 mN and low-frequency vibration in 45 ms. We also demonstrate an earring-type passive haptic device, which presents a haptic stimulus to the earlobe.