Tactile Navigation System using a Haptic Device

Abstract

In this paper, we proposed a haptic navigation system which used the tactile data for the user guides of the mobile robot to the reference point via tele-operation in unknown blind environment. This navigation system can enable a mobile robot to avoid obstacles and move to the reference point, according to the direction provided by the device guides through a haptic device consisting of a vibration motor in a blind environment. There are a great deal of obstacles in real environments, and so mobile robots can avoid obstacles by recognizing the exact position of each obstacle through the superposition of an ultrasonic sensor. The navigation system determines the direction of obstacle avoidance through an avoidance algorithm that uses virtual impedance, and lets users know the position of obstacles and the direction of the avoidance through the haptic device consisting of 5 vibration motors. By letting users know intuitionally, it lets the mobile robot precisely reach the reference point in unknown blind environment. This haptic device can implement a haptic navigation system through the tactile sensor data.