Tactile Transducer Design/Development

The objective of the proposed SBIR is the design and development of a small, lightweight tactile transducer which produces a vibratory stimulus above the sensory/recognition threshold of the skin. A novel transducer element, based on a miniature, laterally acting linear motor driving a skin contactor is proposed. The transducer includes a mechanical impedance matching device which enables efficient energy transmission to the skin surface in spite of significant damping imposed by surrounding tissues. Multiple transducer elements will be combined in a thin, lightweight conformable array to form the tactile interface. The array will be driven directly by standard 5 volt TTL integrated circuits, and is well suited to battery operation. A prototype array of six waterproof, pressure equalized transducers will be fabricated, and testing will be conducted on subjects both in air and underwater.