HIRO: Multi-fingered Haptic Interface Robot and Its Medical Application Systems

This chapter presents the design and characteristics of a five-fingered haptic interface robot named HIRO and its medical application systems. The aim of the development of HIRO is to provide a high-precision three-directional force at the five human fingertips. HIRO consists of a 15-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) haptic hand, a 6-DOF interface arm, and a control system. The haptic interface can be used in a large workspace and can provide multipoint contact between the user and a virtual environment. Three medical application systems using HIRO, a hand rehabilitation support system, a medical training system using plural devices, and a breast palpation training system, are introduced. Furthermore, a hand haptic interface for an advanced palpation training system, which consists of a multi-fingered haptic interface for fingertips and 1-dimensional force display for finger pads, is presented. These systems show the great potential of HIRO.