Investigating Bimanual Haptic Exploration With Arm-Support Exoskeletons

Author

Balagopal Raveendranath, Clemson UniversityFollow

Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair/Advisor

Dr. Chris Pagano

Committee Member

Dr. Divya Srinivasan

Committee Member

Dr. Rick Tyrrell

Committee Member

Dr. Patrick Rosopa

Committee Member

Dr. Tetsushi Nonaka

Abstract

The ability to judge properties like weight and length of hand-held objects is essential in industrial work. Sometimes workers use devices like exoskeletons, which can augment their ability to lift and move heavy objects. Previous studies have investigated the perceptual information available for one-handed weight and length judgments. The current study investigated how blindfolded participants bimanually heft and wield objects to explore haptic information, to perceive object heaviness or length. The study also investigated the effects of using an arm-support exoskeleton (ASE) on the perceived weight of hand-held objects. We empirically tested whether people wield and manipulate objects differently, depending on whether they are asked to report the perceived weight or length of objects. Participants were presented with a rod, with weights attached either symmetrically on both sides of the center, or asymmetrically on one side. In Experiment 1, blindfolded participants were asked to either judge the weight or the length of a set of rods, after they actively wielded each rod. In Experiment 2, a different group of participants wearing an ASE to support lifting objects above shoulder level reported the perceived weight of the hand-held rod with their arms stretched above their shoulder level. The study has implications on designing exoskeletons, and training people to improve their weight and length judgments with and without wearing ASEs.

Recommended Citation

Raveendranath, Balagopal, "Investigating Bimanual Haptic Exploration With Arm-Support Exoskeletons" (2024). All Dissertations. 3590.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/3590

Author ORCID Identifier

0000-0002-4202-9237