Hybrid Haptic Device Integrating Pneumatic and Electromagnetic Actuators

• The accurate and realistic transmission of tactile signals is essential for the advancement of haptic devices. Challenges arise due to the simultaneous presence of high-frequency tactile signals, such as surface textures, and low-frequency tactile signals, like shape or hardness, when interacting with real objects. This complexity is evident when trying to transmit various signals in existing studies such as single-actuator, multimodal, and hybrid haptic devices. This article introduces a novel hybrid haptic device that is soft and wearable, integrating pneumatic and electromagnetic actuators to improve the accuracy of tactile signal transmission. The pneumatic actuator handles low-frequency components, while the electromagnetic actuator is responsible for high-frequency components, each aligning with their specific mechanical properties. A series of experiments validate the mechanical properties of our proposed device, demonstrating its significant potential in enhancing the accuracy and realism of tactile signal transmission.