Haptic Experimentation for Single Degree of Freedom Force Output Joystick using Hybrid Motor/Brake Actuator

This paper describes the design and implementation of a new type of a force reflective joystick. It has single degree of freedom that is actuated by motor and brake pair. The use of motor and brake allows various objects to be simulated without the stability problem and related safety issues involved with high torque motors only. The joystick performance is measured by its ability to simulate various test objects. Simple test objects are modeled as a benchmark test of the system´s performance and to evaluate different control approaches for hybrid motor/brake actuator. The force output joystick is capable of simulating forces in a variety of virtual environments. This device demonstrates the effectiveness of a hybrid motor/brake haptic actuator.