PHD Design of multimodal tactile devices dedicated to the hand for interacting with immersive environments

These last years have seen an explosion of novel tactile technologies providing various haptic sensations across all the user’s body. However, while these technologies have now been made available, virtual reality systems are still struggling to convey compelling tactile sensations for 3D interaction. The project ADVHANDTURE aims at introducing an original computational approach for handling multimodal tactile feedback within immersive environments. For that purpose, the project relies on a multidisciplinary methodology, gathering knowledge in human perception, haptics, virtual reality, mechanics and 3D interactions.

PhD topic

Within the context of ADVHANDTURE, the goal of the PhD is to design multimodal tactile devices dedicated to the hand for interacting with immersive environments. The main scientific question relies on the combination of tactile stimuli within the hand. For that purpose, original tactile devices will be designed by using 3D printing techniques and multimodal actuation technologies. The PhD will start with the analysis of the literature on the different tactile stimuli and their perception in the human hand. Then, small prototypes combining several tactile stimuli will be fabricated through the combination of material properties and actuators. Human perception will be conducted within immersive environments to evaluate the combination of the stimuli for specific tasks. The combination of the devices will then be generalized and tested on applications.

Created in 1966, INSA Rennes is a member of the INSA Group, the leading French network of state graduate and post graduate engineering schools, composed of 7 schools in France and 6 partner schools. Research and innovation are the key elements of INSA, which benefits from the expertise of its 168 professors and lecturers. With six laboratories of international renown, three technological platforms and numerous industrial partners, INSA Rennes stands out for two poles of excellence: Information, Communication Science & Technologies / Materials, Structures & Mechanics.

The applicant should have a strong interest in working in a multidisciplinary team. Ideally, she/he has an experience in mechatronics domain :

    skills in instrumentation and experimentation;

    signal processing and electronics;

    computer science, C/C++ coding;

    Familiarity with system dynamics and control;

    Familiarity with computer graphics, 3D printing and haptics;

    Familiarity with system mechanics and materials is considered as an asset.