Identification and Optimization of theHaptic Rendering

from a “Novint Falcon”.

Aman ShahScott Teuscher

Advised by:Prof. Jake Abbott,Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Overview•Novint Falcon is low cost high volume haptic interface•Haptic performance varies within and from device to device

Motivation•By increasing the haptic performance of the falcon we can get consistent and similar feel to more expensive “precision” devices•Example: 2 orders of magnitude in cost

Force Dimension Omega.x ~ $20kNovint Falcon ~ $150

CHALLENGES

•Kinematics•Accurate System Identification

• Weights and dimensions• Center of Mass• Moments of Inertia• Motor Characterization

•Model Predictive Control

MOMENT OF INERTIA INSTRUMENTS - XR Series

QUESTION WE HOPE TO ANSWER :

Can we develop an algorithm for gravity and friction compensation to cause the Novint Falcon to feel consistent within it’s own workspace, as well as between different devices?

FINAL OUTPUT

•User tests to determine if we have increased the haptic performance within and between devices

•System parameters for general public use

•Barring no improvement, an algorithm for improving the haptic performance of a Novint Falcon

QUESTIONS?