Force control for a force display using a pneumatic actuator and improvement of the actuator

Hemiplegia of the fingers, which is a typical sequela, reduces the quality of life of those affected. We aim to realize effective rehabilitation by implementing a soft actuator using air pressure and two mechanisms using electro-adhesive gel in a force display. The present study investigated the response performance of force control with internal pressure to guide the design of a hybrid force-display glove. In addition, force control through internal pressure was achieved using a balloon actuator. However, the response performance and accuracy required for haptic presentation were not achieved. It was therefore thought that the response time and the precision of the force control corresponding to internal pressure can be improved by changing the structure and material of the balloon actuator. The new model output the same force with an internal pressure less than half that of the old model. Although the response was not better than that of the old model, it could be improved by changing the structure in the new model.