Using Amplitude-modulated Pseudo Forces to Control Human Movement

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

K.C. Dols Mechanical Engineering

Contributors

E. van der Kruk Biomechatronics & Human-Machine Control - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (mentor)
M. Wiertlewski Human-Robot Interaction - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (mentor)
A.H.A. Stienen Biomechatronics & Human-Machine Control - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (graduation committee member)
Faculty
Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Copyright: © 2023 Kasper Dols
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Published Date

06-04-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

Humans perceive a pulling or pushing sensation when subjected to an asymmetric vibration. This so-called pseudo force has great potential to guide human movement. Previous research has exclusively focused on the effect of pseudo forces in open-loop environments, in which the user’s joint angular velocity cannot be corrected. As the latter is essential for providing movement guidance, this paper proposes the first closed-loop system in the field of pseudo forces, using amplitude-modulated pseudo forces as haptic feedback. With this feedback, the user was assisted in moving towards a specific target angular velocity. In a human factors experiment, the amplitude-modulated stimuli were compared to constant-amplitude stimuli. The results showed that amplitude-modulated pseudo forces significantly decreased the error between the user’s and the target angular velocity when continuous movement in the desired direction was achieved. Therefore, the study demonstrated that amplitude-modulated pseudo forces can effectively guide human movement, representing an essential step towards developing a wearable movement guidance device.