Generation of Tactile Feeling through the Frictional Torque of Magnetic Particle Brakes

Mechatronics devices for help our activities of daily living have made our life easier. These devices that are used by the general public require safety and reliability. Additionally low acoustic noise and energy-saving performance are expected. In this paper, we describe our prototype of a manual control input device which can display resistance torque. The prototype equips magnetic particle brakes at each rotational joint in place of servo motors which are usually used for the force feedback function. The magnetic particle brakes provide the resistance torque that is proportional to the change in the excitation current passing through a coil of the element. The dynamics of the prototype are analyzed as a two link mechanism first, and then the self-weight compensation and the resistance torque display to assist manual control are implemented by appropriate actuation of the magnetic particle brakes. The proposed mechanism composed of magnetic particle brakes can support the operation of a mechatronics device passively and follow the intuition of the user.