Robotic Skin

Version 1 date 11.2023

Overview

This demo showcases the possibilities of the Robotic skin by using the Bhaptics vest. This demo aims to translate the physical touch on the robotics skin to the vibration of the motors in the vest.

Setup

1. Check if the cables on the skin are connected properly

Use the “professional” visualization and connect the skin to the laptop using the provided cable. The cables should be connected correctly, to begin with - this is just a safety test.

DO NOT DISCONNECT THE CABLES AFTER THE DEMO

2. Open the bHapticsPlayer and connect the vest

After opening the application bHapticsPlayer in the bottom left corner there will be information about the vest including the battery life. By selecting Device in the menu on the left-hand side and then Feedback Test you can check whether the vest is properly connected by selecting which motors should vibrate.

And testing the vibration of a single motor (press pause to stop the vest from vibrating).

3. Start skin analyser

Open the terminal and run the following line 

java -jar "C:\Users\HMI Admin\UT_Skin\UT_skin\ProcessingTools\SkinAnalyser\SkinAnalyser.jar"

  • RED In the new window that opens, use Load config button at the bottom to load config EVETorso.noc In quick access: config_files → EVETorso.noc
  • GREEN Then check the port at the Serial Communication: if it's empty connect the skin to the laptop and press refresh
  • BLUE If everything is ready, press the Render button on the top

After pressing Render the following window will open.

4. Run BHapticsSkinServer application

Via the File Explorer

Go to quick access → Release → BHapticsSkinServer

The resulting window should look as follows.

5. Connect vest to the skin

In the Renderer window press the Send to HapticSkinServer button

The vest and the skin should be connected!

By pressing on the skin, you should see the white spots in the Renderer window, and the vest should vibrate in the correct places

Example: full hand pressing on the top of the skin

Calibration

If there are white artefacts appearing in the Renderer window when nothing is touching the skin, make sure that there is nothing touching the skin and press Launch Calibration on the bottom right corner. The white factors should disappear.