Working in the “ThingLab” over the summer on a couple different projects involving haptic control interfaces and pneumatics inspired the development of this one.
According to Google, the definition of haptic is: “relating to the sense of touch, in particular relating to the perception and manipulation of objects using the senses of touch and proprioception.” In controlling the many systems we interact with daily, there are situations where visual faculties are occupied, obscured, or permanently impaired so discovery and control are delegated to our hands.
As a first attempt, I thought a simple controller defining levels with up and down selector pads would be useful and have broad application(volume, fan speed, etc…). The outer forearm seemed like a good place to attach it to a human body as there will be minimal interference during activity and can be worn over clothing if needed. A Vambrace in terms of armor.
Here is a first concept sketch of what I’m thinking. Some air-tight pouches hooked up to tubing that connects to a tiny pump and some sensors embedded under the (+) and (-) to act as control buttons.
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