Concept Development of Fixed Geometry Tactile Display using Granular Jamming

Palpation plays a significant role in medical diagnosis and treatment. It enables the ability to perceive tissue stiffness and reactive characteristics necessary for the first stage examination and routine inspection to detect malignant lumps located under the skin. Several attempts have been made to design palpation simulators but lack of realistic tactile/haptic feedback has been one of the major concerns. To overcome the limitation, we designed a new mechanism for a tactile display. It utilizes granular jamming technology using pneumatic actuation to control a display nodule that maintains its shape while allowing the modulation in stiffness. To achieve our goal, we designed a hemispherically combined display nodule having different thickness and material for the contact and actuation portions of the sphere. This design can provide a controllable tactile display while maintaining its dimension.