Project description DEENESFRITPL Haptic technology for virtual medical touch Haptic technology exploits the sense of touch to control virtual objects, machines and electronic devices. Implementation of this technology in biomedical devices would significantly benefit a range of clinical diagnostic and surgical procedures. However, existing haptic actuators cannot recapitulate the action of biological structures. To this end, scientists of the EU-funded Rachel project will test a range of organic materials for their capacity to provide realistic tactile cues upon stimulation. They will also investigate many aspects related to the perception of touch including the underlying physical and cognitive mechanisms. Apart from fundamental knowledge, the new actuators will open the door towards improved haptic technologies in healthcare and wearable devices employed in physical and cognitive therapy. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective The importance of the sense of touch in the biomedical sciences is difficult to overstate. Touch and palpation are critical for a range of clinical diagnostic and surgical procedures. The use of tactile feedback in virtual surgery may accelerate medical training and ultimately lead to superior patient outcomes. Technologies designed to manipulate the sense of touch are termed as “haptics”. In order to enable a future where haptics are used in biomedical devices, there is a need to answer fundamental questions arising from the sense of touch perception of humans, as well as to develop novel and smart materials that can transmit realistic tactile cues. One of the great challenges of existing—“off-the-shelf” —haptic actuators is that they are incapable of recapitulating the feeling of biological structures. In this proposal, I plan to adopt a new experimental paradigm based on organic materials (e.g. conductive polymers and liquid crystal elastomers) as haptic actuators capable of producing realistic tactile cues upon stimuli. In addition, fundamental questions related to the sensitivities and thresholds of human touch perception will be assessed for the first time using these materials in conjunction with psychophysical tests. Employing the expertise of the Lipomi lab in materials science and by collaboration with cognitive scientists, I will shed light on the physical and cognitive mechanisms underlying the perception of touch. This work will establish the design principles of organic actuators that may revolutionize technologies for remote care, such as for communities located in “healthcare deserts”, and wearable devices for physical and cognitive therapy. Fields of science medical and health scienceshealth scienceshealth care serviceseHealthnatural sciencescomputer and information sciencesinternetinternet of thingsnatural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciencesmedical and health sciencesclinical medicinesurgerysurgical proceduresengineering and technologymaterials engineeringliquid crystals Keywords Haptics stimulus-responsive polymers liquid crystal elastomers conductive polymers wearable haptic device kinesthetic feedback tactile feedback human-machine interface Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Topic(s) MSCA-IF-2019 - Individual Fellowships Call for proposal H2020-MSCA-IF-2019 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinator TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY Net EU contribution € 269 998,08 Address Ramat aviv 69978 Tel aviv Israel See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Partners (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all Partner Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement. THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA United States Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address Franklin street 1111 12 floor 94607 Oakland ca See on map Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 177 265,92
