Abstract: A system modifies data generating haptic feedback to account for changes in user perception of haptic feedback. The system identifies haptic data and determines an estimated amplitude of haptic feedback corresponding to a portion of the haptic data. Responsive to the estimated amplitude of the haptic feedback corresponding to the portion of the haptic data exceeding a threshold value, a refractory period is determined that will occur after haptic feedback corresponding to the portion of the haptic data is applied to the user. The portion of the haptic data is provided to an input interface, and a set of haptic data associated with times within a duration of the refractory period from the identified haptic data is removed to form an adjusted data set that is provided to the input interface to provide haptic feedback to the user in accordance with adjusted haptic data set.

Abstract: A minimal access tool includes a frame arranged to be attached to an arm of a user, a tool shaft having a proximal end and a distal end, where the tool shaft proximal end is connected to the frame. The tool further includes an input joint having a first end connected to the frame and a second end arranged to receive user input, the input joint including a virtual center-of-rotation (VC) mechanism which provides a center of rotation that generally coincides with a wrist joint of the user. An output joint is connected to the tool shaft distal end, where the output joint is coupled to the input joint via a mechanical transmission connected therebetween to correlate motion of the input joint to motion of the output joint.

Abstract: An input interface configured to be worn on a portion of a user's body includes tendons coupled to various sections of the garment. A tendon includes one or more activation mechanisms that, when activated, prevent or restrict a particular range of motion. The tendon may include a tendon web that controls multiple portions of the user's body with an activation mechanism. The tendon may connect to the garment through a textile mesh that distributes force over a wider area of the user's skin. An activation mechanism may apply force to the textile mesh to modify the stiffness of the textile mesh or to modify the pressure applied by the textile mesh. The tendon may be a wire or have a form with variable width. The activation mechanism may be a solenoid using a permanent magnet, which may have multiple alternating magnetic poles.

Abstract: An input interface for a virtual reality (VR) system includes one or more actuators stressing or straining a portion of a user's skin, simulating interactions with presented virtual objects. For example, an actuator comprises a tendon contacting portions of a user's body and coupled to a motor that moves the tendon to move portions of the user's body contacting the tendon. Alternatively, an actuator includes a pad having a surface contacting a surface of the user's body. A driving mechanism moves the pad in one or more directions parallel to the surface of the user's body with varying levels of normal force. In another example, one or more pins contact portions of the user's body and a surface of a bladder. The pins move as the bladder is inflated or deflated, which moves the contacted portions of the user's body. Alternatively, another type of actuator may move the pins.

Abstract: An enhanced elastomer molding process applies an electric field to an elastomer doped to include dielectric ceramic particulates inserted in a cavity of a mold while maintaining a temperature at or near a melting point of the elastomer and a Curie temperature of the ceramic particulates. Because a material's dielectric constant is related to the material's net remnant ferroelectric polarization, which may be increased by poling near the material's Curie temperature, applying the electric field to the elastomer doped with the dielectric ceramic particulates increases the dielectric constant of the dielectric ceramic particulates. This maintains the high elasticity of the elastomer while increasing the elastomer's dielectric constant of the material by increasing the value of the dielectric constant of the dielectric ceramic particulates included in the elastomer.

Abstract: A control for a virtual reality (VR) system environment includes a portion and an additional portion each configured to contact different portions of a user's body. As one of the portions of the user's body moves towards the other pottion of the user's body, the corresponding portion of the material contacting the moving portion of the user's body also moves towards the other portion of the material contacting the other portion of the user's body. Different positions of the portion and the additional portion relative to each other may correspond to different instructions that cause the VR system environment to perform different actions. In some embodiments, the control includes one or more feedback mechanisms providing the user with tactile feedback that simulates interactions with one or more virtual objects presented by the VR system environment.

Abstract: A virtual reality system including a garment worn by a user, such as a glove, includes a jamming that jams movement of a portion of the user's body by increasing a rigidity of certain portions of the garment or by preventing a certain portion of the garment from expanding past a certain length. This allows the garment to simulate the physical sensation that occurs when the user touches an object. For example, to simulate the sensation of holding a coffee mug, the jamming mechanism prevents the user's fingers from curling after the user's fingers have reached a position equivalent to making physical contact with the coffee mug.

Abstract: An input interface for a virtual reality (VR) system environment includes one or more actuators that, when activated, prevent movement of the input interface by a user. For example, the input interface has magnetic actuation mechanism preventing movement of certain portions of the input interface when actuated, allowing simulation of interactions with virtual objects in a virtual environment presented by the VR system environment. In one embodiment, the input interface includes one or more magnets on a tendon or other portion of the input interface that moves with a portion of the user's body and one or more additional magnets fixed relative to the input interface. Magnets on the portion of the input interface that moves with the portion of the user's body and the fixed additional magnets act as a soft detent mechanism holding the portion of the user's body in in one or more specified positions.

Abstract: An input interface configured to be worn on a portion of a user's body includes tendons coupled to various rigid cuffs in the input interface. The tendons include one or more activation mechanisms that, when activated, retract the tendons, which repositions a rigid cuff into a position relative to the user's body that restricts or prevents some form of movement of the user's body. Various activation mechanisms may be included in the tendons in various embodiments.

Abstract: Dielectric ceramic particulates are introduced into thin a sheet of pre-cured elastomer to form a sheet. Successive layers of the sheets may then be laminated together to form a finished article. An electric field may be applied to the article during a curing process while the article is at a temperature near a Curie temperature of the dielectric ceramic particulates to increase a dielectric constant of the article. As each sheet may be different from each other in the finished article, the resulting finished article may have anisotropic dielectric and mechanical properties. Similarly, tiled dielectric ceramic structures may be introduced into the elastomers layers to generate materials with varying dielectric constants.

Abstract: A system tracks movement of the VR input device relative to a portion of a user's skin, track movement of the VR input device relative to a physical surface external to the VR input device, or both. The system includes an illumination source integrated with a tracking glove coupled to a virtual reality console, and the illumination source is configured to illuminate a portion of skin on a finger of a user. The system includes an optical sensor integrated with the glove, and the optical sensor is configured to capture a plurality of images of the illuminated portion of skin. The system includes a controller configured to identify differences between one or more of the plurality of images, and to determine estimated position data based in part on the identified differences.

Abstract: A control for a virtual reality (VR) system contacting areas of user's body is comprised of one or more materials having different stiffnesses at different positions of the control. In various embodiments, portions of the control contacting an area of the user's body with a relatively limited range of motion comprise stiffly woven material to limit movement of the control. Conversely, portions of the control contacting an area of the user's body with a relatively larger range or motion comprise softly woven material to allow the control to more easily move as the corresponding area of the user's body moves.

Abstract: A haptic device configured to provide haptic feedback to a user. In one aspect, a user or part of a user is located on the haptic device including actuators and damping elements. A haptic feedback wave is generated by an actuator and propagated to the user or part of the user on the haptic device. Damping elements receive the haptic feedback wave and suppress the haptic feedback wave to reduce a reflection thereof.

Abstract: An actuator configured to provide haptic feedback to a user. The actuator is located on a plate and is configured to apply various excitations to the plate to generate a mechanical wave propagating in the controlled direction. The excitations can be a translational motion of the actuator (or a portion of the actuator) in two or three perpendicular axes. Alternatively, the excitations can be a non-translational motion (e.g., rotation about an axis) of the actuator (or a portion of the actuator). By generating the mechanical wave traveling in the controlled direction, loss of energy due to scattering of the mechanical wave can be obviated.

Abstract: A wearable device (such as a glove or other control adapted to be worn on a portion of a body) includes multiple magnetic field generators at various locations on the wearable device and a magnetic flux sensor at a predetermined position relative to the wearable device. A position determines spatial positions of locations of the wearable device based on magnetic fields generated by various magnetic field generators and detected by the magnetic flux sensor. In some embodiments, the magnetic field generators have known positions relative to each other. Additionally, each magnetic field generator may generate a magnetic field in response to an input signal having a particular attribute, allowing the magnetic flux sensor to identify magnetic fields generated by different magnetic field generators.

Abstract: A deformation sensing apparatus comprises an elastic substrate, a first strain-gauge element formed on a first surface of the elastic substrate, and configured to output a first signal in response to a strain applied in a first direction, and a second strain-gauge element formed on a second surface of the elastic substrate opposite to the first surface, and configured to output a second signal in response to a strain applied in the same first direction.

Abstract: A display includes a light guide plate, a plurality of light sources disposed along an edge of the light guide plate, and a flexible carrier to which the plurality of light sources are secured. The flexible carrier includes a plurality of flexures, each flexure of the plurality of flexures disposed between a respective pair of adjacent light sources of the plurality of light sources to allow a spacing between the pair of adjacent light sources to change.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a display frame, a light guide plate disposed within the display frame, and a light source disposed along an edge of the light guide plate. The light source is secured to the display frame. The electronic device further includes an enclosure in which the display frame and the light guide plate are disposed. The enclosure is configured to allow thermal expansion of the display frame and of the light guide plate. The light guide plate and the display frame have substantially similar coefficients of thermal expansion.

Abstract: The disclosed technology provides for a device and method related to powering an electronic stylus with a removable, integrated battery that acts as a structural segment and external casing along the long axis of the stylus body. The integrated battery incorporates interlocking features, which removes the need for an external tube around a battery cell. As a result, the electronic stylus has one structural component performing multiple functions (e.g., providing power, functioning as the stylus casing), which achieves a more lightweight and compact electronic stylus. The placement of the battery along the long axis can vary to provide comfortable weight distribution for writing, which can involve an interlocking interface at one end of the battery or at both ends of the battery (e.g., to interlock with one or both ends of the electronic stylus).

Abstract: Examples of the disclosure provide an active matrix capacitive touch sensor. In some examples, a sensor includes a plurality of primary ring oscillators, a plurality of reference ring oscillators, wherein each reference ring oscillator is associated with a respective primary ring oscillator, at least one row trace, wherein each row trace is coupled to at least one primary ring oscillator and a reference ring oscillator for each primary ring oscillator, at least one sensor column trace coupled to one primary ring oscillator for each row trace, and at least one reference column trace coupled to one reference ring oscillator for each row trace. Examples of the disclosure enable touch-screen technology to provide increased pad sensitivity and multi-touch capability in a cost-effective and scalable manner.