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Electropneumotactile Stimulation: Multimodal Haptic Actuators Enabled by a Stretchable Conductive Polymer on Inflatable Pockets
Author(s) -
Carpenter Cody W.,
Malinao Marigold G.,
Rafeedi Tarek A.,
Rodriquez Daniel,
Tan Siew Ting Melissa,
Root Nicholas B.,
Skelil Kyle,
Ramírez Julian,
Polat Beril,
Root Samuel E.,
Ramachandran Vilayanur S.,
Lipomi Darren J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced materials technologies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.184
H-Index - 42
ISSN - 2365-709X
DOI - 10.1002/admt.201901119
Subject(s) - inflatable , elastomer , pedot:pss , materials science , actuator , silicone , electrode , electrical conductor , polymer , composite material , pneumatic actuator , biomedical engineering , conductive polymer , silicone rubber , haptic technology , artificial muscle , polyurethane , mechanical engineering , computer science , electrical engineering , simulation , engineering , chemistry
A type of haptic device is described that delivers two modes of stimulation simultaneously and at the same location on the skin. The two modes of stimulation are mechanical (delivered pneumatically by inflatable air pockets embedded within a silicone elastomer) and electrical (delivered by a conductive polymer). The key enabling aspect of this work is the use of a highly plasticized conductive polymer based on poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiphene) (PEDOT) blended with elastomeric polyurethane (PU). To fabricate the “electropneumotactile” device, the polymeric electrodes are overlaid directly on top of the elastomeric pneumatic actuator pockets. Co‐placement of the pneumatic actuators and the electrotactile electrodes is enabled by the stretchability of the PEDOT:tosylate/PU blend, allowing the electrotactiles to conform to underlying pneumatic pockets under deformation. The blend of PEDOT and PU has a Young's modulus of ≈150 MPa with little degradation in conductivity following repeated inflation of the air pockets. The ability to perceive simultaneous delivery of two sensations to the same location on the skin is supported by experiments using human subjects. These results show that participants can successfully detect the location of pneumatic stimulation and whether electrotactile stimulation is delivered (yes/no) at a rate significantly above chance (mean accuracy = 94%).