An input device, such as a joystick, has an operating device, a magnetorheological brake device, and a controller for activating the brake device. An operating lever is disposed on a supporting structure for pivoting around at least one pivot axis. The brake device is coupled with the pivot axis for controlled damping of a pivoting motion of the operating lever. The brake device has a rotary damper with two components, namely, an inside component and an outside component. The outside component radially surrounds the inside component and a damping gap is formed in between that is filled with a magnetorheological medium. The damping gap can be exposed to a magnetic field to damp a pivoting motion between the two contrapivoting components about an axis. One of the components has radial arms equipped with an electric coil whose winding extends adjacent to and spaced apart from the axis.

The present invention discloses a care robot controller, which includes: a controller body that includes slide rails, finger slot sliders and a joystick, wherein the finger slot sliders are movably arranged on the slide rails and configured to receive pressing, and the joystick is configured to control the care robot; a gesture parsing unit configured to parse three-dimensional gestures of the controller body, and control the care robot to perform corresponding actions when the three-dimensional gestures of the controller body are in line with preset gestures; and a tactile sensing unit configured to sense the pressing received by the finger slot sliders and initiate a user mode corresponding to the pressing information, so that the controller body provides corresponding vibration feedback. Thus the user can control the controller efficiently and conveniently, the control accuracy is improved, and effective man-machine interaction is realized.

An input control device is disclosed. The input control device can be configured to operate in different modes depending on proximity data provided by a proximity detection system. The input control device can include a feedback generator configured to generate feedback in response to the input control device switching between operational modes, the proximity data provided by the proximity detection system, and/or other conditions of the surgical procedure, robotic surgical tool, surgical site, and/or patient. The input control device can include a variable resistance assembly for resisting input control motions applied to an actuator thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the input control device can include an end effector actuator assembly for repositioning the end effector actuator based on feedback from a paired robotic surgical tool.

The disclosed system may include a substructure configured to support various components, an actuator configured to provide substantially linear motion along a specified axis in response to an electrical input, an input component hingedly coupled to the substructure, where the input component is configured to receive input from a user, and a mechanical linkage coupled to the input component and to at least a portion of the actuator. The mechanical linkage may be configured to translate the substantially linear motion provided by the actuator to a rotary force applied to the input component via the mechanical linkage. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

An apparatus includes a housing having a holding portion for gripping by a hand of a user; a manipulation block having a first side that includes at least one of: (i) one or more pressable buttons, and (ii) a stick button, and having a second side that includes a trigger button; and at least one of: (i) a thumb sensor block, located proximate to the first side of the manipulation block, and operable to detect the presence of the thumb of the hand of the user when the holding portion is gripped by the user, (ii) a first finger sensor, located on the trigger button, and operable to detect the presence of the at least one finger of the hand of the user when the holding portion is gripped by the user, and (iii) a second finger sensor, located proximate to both the second side of the manipulation block and the holding portion of the housing, and operable to detect the presence of at least one of a middle finger, a ring finger, and a pinky finger of the hand of the user when the holding portion is gripped by the user.

Haptic interface for the control of a system comprising: a handle (4), a kinesthetic stimulation device (6, 8) connected mechanically to the handle (4), a vibrotactile stimulation device comprising three vibrating actuators (A1, A2, A3) generating a vibrotactile stimulation at the level of the handle (4) with the user, the vibrating actuators (A1, A2, A3) being such that each vibrating actuator generates vibrations in a frequency range and/or an amplitude range which are at least in part distinct from those of the other vibrating actuators, means for measuring a position of the handle (4), a control unit able to dispatch commands to said kinesthetic stimulation device and to the vibrotactile stimulation device at least as a function of the signals transmitted by the means for measuring the position of the handle and/or of information about the state of the system and/or its environment.

A haptic interface with at least two degrees of freedom including at least one element for interacting with a user, at least two passive brakes each extending along an axis, each of the brakes being capable of exerting a resistive force about its axis, the forces being controllable, measurement means for measuring a position of the element for interacting with a user, detection means for detecting the force applied on the element for interacting with the user, a control unit capable of sending commands to the brakes depending on information on the position of the element for interacting with the user and on the force applied on the element for interacting with the user, such that said passive brakes generate resistive forces according to at least one given haptic pattern.

Disclosed herein is a controller apparatus including a vibrating body movable within a predetermined movable range thereof, an operating member operated by a user, the operating member being movably operable within a movable range thereof overlapping partially with the movable range of the vibrating body, a reception section configured to receive a vibration instruction designating generation of vibration, a detection section configured to detect a position of the operating member within the movable range thereof, and a control section configured to give vibration to the operating member by controlling a position and vibration of the vibrating body in accordance with the received vibration instruction and the detected position of the operating member. When predetermined conditions are satisfied, the control section controls the vibration of the vibrating body in a manner correcting the vibration designated by the vibration instruction.

Disclosed herein is an operating device connected to an information processing device, the operating device including an information transmitting section configured to receive an operation of a user and transmit operation information indicating content of the operation to the information processing device and a control processing section configured to perform control processing determined in advance according to the operation of the user, the information transmitting section transmitting state information indicating an execution state of the control processing to the information processing device.

This vibration control apparatus receives a vibration instruction for vibrating a vibration device and vibrates the vibration device according to contents in which contents of the received vibration instruction are corrected in accordance with information regarding an operating condition of the vibration device.