Implementation of Real-Time One Degree of Freedom Haptic Device Using FPGA

Abstract

Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are growing interests in research due to rapid advancements in technology. Fast computation and optimum power requirements are predicted to be vital elements for future technology devices. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) can work as a key element to fulfill this requirement. Also, it’s been a new research area a decade back to simulate touch, smell, and taste. The mathematical model for sensory perception has been developed for touch, but not for Nose (smell) and tongue (taste). The field of Haptics is related to simulating the touch. Touch is the most prominent sense to perceive the real world. A sense of touch gives the feeling of the physical properties of the object. Over the last decades, many theories have been put forward to simulate the touch artificially in computers to feel the virtual world (objects) physical properties. The evolvement of a cost-effective real-time One Degree of Freedom Haptic device with minimum hardware resources is aimed at this paper. The system is a build-up of three phases: System Hardware, System Software, and incorporating both in FPGA as a complete closed-loop solution. The feel of touch-force computation and rendering of graphics is simulated on a single FPGA board.