2010 R&D 100 Winner
The Maglev 200 Magnetic Levitation Haptic Interface, an instrument built by Butterfly Haptics, LLC, and developed in conjunction with Carnegie Mellon Univ., both of Pittsburgh, is the first device to be based on magnetic levitation principles rather than electromechanical systems. The underlying technology improves response and reliability, providing more than an order of magnitude improvement in performance over electromechanical haptic devices.
To operate, the user grasps a handle attached to a flotor levitated by strong magnetic fields. The handle can be moved in six degrees of freedom, sending positioning and orientation information to the user’s application, which outputs forces and torques to the handle. The device features an embedded controller to handle computations.
Users can touch and manipulate virtual and remote 3D environments. Applications include explosive ordinance disposal, dental training, control of remote assembly robots, blood flow measurements in the human fingertip, human texture perception, visualization of 3D data, and microsurgery.
Technology
Magnetic levitation haptic interface device
Developers
Butterfly Haptics, LLC
Carnegie Mellon Univ.
Development Team
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| PhD student Peter Berkelman (left) and Professor Ralph Hollis, with the prototype magnetic levitation haptic interface developed at Carnegie Mellon University. |
The Maglev 200 Magnetic Levitation Haptic Interface Development Team:
Ralph Hollis
