Single cell magnetorheological fluid based tactile display

A tactile display is a programmable device whose controlled surface is intended to be investigated by human touch, as a finger is dragged over it. It has a great number of potential applications in the field of virtual reality and elsewhere. In this research, a prototype tactile display incorporating magnetorheological (MR) fluid has been constructed and investigated. Surface force responses of the tactile display under various magnetic fields have been measured while a probe was moved across the upper (controlled) surface. The purpose of this experiment was to simulate the action of a human finger’s touch. As the applied magnetic field was varied, the sensed surface profiles changed in synchronisation with the magnet field strength. This preliminary research provides a new practical and effective way of achieving a tactile display without any moving components. q 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.