This Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Information and Intelligent Systems will fund the development of shape-based remote manipulation technologies and educational outreach activities totaling $606,545. Under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070), the award supports four key objectives over a four-year period from September 2022 to August 2026. First, the grantees at Florida A&M University will develop a remote manipulation...
The National Science Foundation awarded a $320,987 Project Grant to Northwestern University for the 3-year period from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2026. The grant, funded through the NSF's Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070), supports research to develop novel haptic technologies that can create a more realistic sense of touch in virtual environments. The research objectives are to: 1) formulate models of how human skin interacts with...
This $450,000 five-year project grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) supports research at the University of Michigan to develop sensory-motor perception and control algorithms for dexterous object manipulation using visual and high-resolution tactile feedback. The key objectives are to: 1) create a physics-informed tactile representation that addresses "tactile shadows", a form of aliasing that can corrupt perception and state...
This $300,000 National Science Foundation project grant supports the development of haptic technology innovations to guide student gesturing with dynamic STEM visualizations. Specifically, the University of Illinois will design and develop a custom haptic glove that interacts with a computer visualization of a biological cell. The goal is to determine how sensory feedback delivered to students' hands helps them understand representations displayed in computer simulations. Additionally, the...
This $479,999 federal Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070) aims to develop algorithms and interfaces that enable easier and more effective 3D modeling, even without visual cues. The key objectives are to create: 1) accurate "in-air" 3D drawing tools, 2) sonification techniques for non-visual shape perception and editing, and 3) verbal 3D shape editing tools and interactions. This...
Northwestern University will use a $799,910 project grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct collaborative research on touchbots for surface haptics from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2024. The grant was awarded under the NSF's Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070), which supports investigator-initiated research and education in computing, communications, and information science and engineering. Specifically, the university will research how to...
The National Science Foundation awarded North Carolina State University $729,000 under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program to develop smart skins for robotic prosthetic hands. The three-year project grant, awarded on September 1, 2022 and set to conclude on August 31, 2025, will fund research to fundamentally understand adaptive tactile interactions between shape-morphing robotic skins and grasped objects. Researchers will pursue three thrusts: understanding contact...
This $249,000 Project Grant award, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) program (CFDA 47.070), supports research to transform haptic graphical user interfaces by leveraging dynamic behaviors of soft materials. The project aims to develop novel tactile haptic technologies for digital illustrations through an iterative process, with three main research objectives: Identify the potential of stimuli-responsive soft materials to...
The National Science Foundation Division of Information and Intelligent Systems awarded Purdue University a $249,489 Project Grant under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070). The grant will fund a collaborative research project titled "Leveraging a Wrapped Haptic Display to Communicate Robot Learning and Accelerate Human Teaching" from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2024. The project aims to develop technologies using haptic feedback to improve...
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $321,388 Project Grant under the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CFDA 47.070) program to the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (Tees) to conduct research aimed at developing novel haptic technologies to create a more realistic sense of touch in virtual reality interfaces. The research project has three core objectives: (1) develop models of how human skin interacts with textured surfaces during touch; (2) fabricate...
This four-year, $603,183 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Computer and Information Science and Engineering program (CFDA 47.070) will support the development of shape-based remote manipulation technologies at Northwestern University. The goals of the research are to overcome limitations in haptic feedback and dexterous control for remote presence systems through innovations in multi-finger haptic interfaces, geometric modeling of grasped objects, and shape-based control techniques. Specifically, the project aims to create a novel shape interface allowing operators to grasp, feel and manipulate virtual objects, as well as develop shape-based control strategies coordinating operator and robot dexterity. The work is expected to advance knowledge of factors impacting remote in-hand dexterity and the role of shape-based haptic information. It will also support education and outreach activities promoting diversity in STEM fields.