Haptic pointing devices

Abstract

A haptic pointing device includes a plurality of rigid, elongated proximal members, each connected to a separate rigid, elongated distal member through an articulating joint. The other end of each proximal member is coupled to an actuator such as a motor, causing that member to swing within a separate plane perpendicular to the shaft of the motor in response to a control signal. An end-effector is interconnected to the second end of each distal member through an articulating joint, such that as the actuators move the proximal members, the end-effector moves in space. In a preferred embodiment, the device includes at least three proximal members and three distal members, and the end-effector is coupled to a user-graspable element such as a stylus which retains a preferred orientation in space as the members are driven by the actuators. In a force-feedback application, the haptic pointing device further includes a position sensor associated with each degree of freedom, and haptic processing means interfaced to a virtual reality system or teleoperations environment. Additional components may be provided to increase flexibility, degrees of freedom, or both.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.