WPI HIVE: TactaBoard Project

Human Interaction in Virtual Environments Lab
Department of Computer Science
Worcester Polytechnic Institute

TactaBoard Research

Overview

Our research is focusing on providing support for near-field haptics in virtual environments. To this end, we have developed a hardware infrastructure, called the TactaBoard, for controlling different types of devices (called tactors) in a low-cost, scalable fashion.

Each TactaBoard allows software control of 16 outputs with 1-byte resolution (0-255). The level of each output is individually controlled using a separate Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) signal.

Sample Applications

You can view pictures and movies of sample devices. Some sample applications we have tested include embedding pager motors (small DC motors with an eccentric mass on the shaft) into an office chair, mounting a tactor on a stylus, and using a glove form-factor.

What Can I Connect to My TactaBoard?

The TactaBoard has been used to control devices such as pager motors, muffin fans, and solenoids. The class of devices currently targetted are DC devices requiring at most 9 V, but 12 V devices have also been controlled with additional hardware. Here are some links to devices we have controlled using the tactaBoard.

TactaBoard Evolution

There are also some pictures of the evolution of the TactaBoard.

Quick Start Guide

Once you receive your TactaBoard, here is a quick start guide to help you successfully get it running. If you experience problems, please email us.

API

We thank the following companies for their support: