Computer Pointer Peripheral Motion Smoothing

Johns Hopkins Haptic Interface Design for Human-Robot Interaction

August 2023 - December 2023

Baltimore, MD

Haptic Rendering, CAD Modeling, Rapid Prototyping, 3D Printing, Assembly Design

The goal of the project was to develop a method of stabilizing
computer pointer peripheral motion via kinesthetic force-feedback. This involves the live collection of the on-screen XY-coordinates of the pointer, the detection of the user’s intended on-screen pointer
trajectory, and the feedback signal to the user in real-time.

A team of four students worked on this project, and I primarily focues on the physical design and assembly of the system. This involved the dissasembly of a 3D printer to use its XY gantry as the starting point for the system, the selection of new motors and electronics that fit the needs of our project goals, and the design of assembly fixtures to attach the new componenets to the original gantry. I also helped with electronics and debugging programming collaboratively.

The first iteration of the project successfully displayed haptic feedback to the user that was informed by their intended computer mouse trajectory. The project was shown in a demo for the class at the end of the semester.

This class was my first experience with haptics and gave me a fundamental understanding of the field, the biomechanics driving research, and the mathematical principles applied in design of haptic systems.