This paper presents a compact soft tactile actuator driven by an embedded electroosmotic pump (EEOP). Importantly, we significantly enhanced the fluidic output pressure by employing a multi-stacked configuration. The fabricated actuator features a compact and lightweight form factor (0.6 g) while generating a large force of 2.7 N and out-of-plane displacement of 2.8 mm, under an input power of 330 mW. Owing to its broad operating frequency range (quasi-static to 50 Hz), the actuator can generate both pressure and vibration feedback to the user. Furthermore, we developed a wearable fingertip prototype utilizing two of tactile actuators. This device is capable of providing multi-dimensional force feedback while keeping the fingerpad unobstructed, thereby preserving natural manipulation and touch perception.

Authors: Trung Ngo Sy, Craig Shultz, Jung-Hwan Youn