Research Project
3801915
Tactile stimulators are used as a research tool in tactile psychophysics and cutaneous pattern perception, neuro- physiological studies of tactile sensitivities, as a diagnostic tool for evaluation of changes in tactile sensitivity associated with disease and trauma, as a novel man-machine interface, and as prosthetic aids for the blind and deaf. The primary objective of this Phase II SBIR contract is the development and fabrication of a standardized, modular, general purpose, versatile Multipoint Tactile Array (MTAC) System, capable of controlling many types of tactile arrays. The MTAC design objective is to control 4 modular arrays, with each array containing 256 points. The secondary objective is to overcome the limitations of the present state of the art of tactile arrays with regard to density, number of stimulators, bandwidth, and the predictability of skin deflection. In this regard, the design objective is to produce an ultra-dense array with deflection of 30 microns, and a bandwidth in excess of 0-400Hz.
