Controlling stiffness with jamming for wearable haptics

Abstract

Layer jamming devices enhance wearable technologies by providing haptic feedback through stiffness control. In this paper we present our prototype that demonstrates improved haptic fidelity of a wearable layer jamming device, using computer controlled solenoid to enable fine-grained control of the garments stiffness property. We also explore variable stiffness configurations for virtual UI components. An evaluation was conducted to validate the methodology, demonstrating dynamic stiffness control with a two waveforms.