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RESEARCH

Yon Visell

Professor Yon Visell

RE Touch Lab

Professor Yon Visell

re-touch-lab.com

The RE Touch Lab is directed by Prof. Yon Visell, is part of the Media Arts and Technology Program, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Department of Mechanical Engineering at UCSB. The lab is based in the California NanoSystems Institute and is affiliated with the Communication and Signal Processing group in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and with the Dynamic Systems, Control, and Robotics group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

We are investigating new engineering principles and developing tools that will allow us realize haptic and robotic systems that reflect the astounding capabilities of biological organisms. A central focus of this work is to develop theoretical and empirical knowledge needed to guide the design of electronic technologies that can efficiently and noninvasively interface with the sensorimotor capacities of the human body, especially with the sense of touch.

Yon Visell

A further aim is to create mechanically resilient, soft robotic systems that can operate in physical regimes, length, and time scales that have been heretofore impossible. We apply technologies developed in these areas to address challenges in haptics, VR, robotics, healthcare and medicine, such as the detection of type II diabetes, or sensorimotor rehabilitation. Our group draws on expertise in electrical and computer engineering, signal processing, neuroscience, art, design, and robotics. In short, we create novel haptic devices and systems for simulating the feel of touched objects, and use these devices to creatively explore multimodal aspects of touch perception. We engineer new technologies for tactile sensing and feedback in robotics, virtual reality, and biomedical applications, and theoretically and empirically investigate the mechanical and behavioral bases of perception and action.

We hold lab meetings about every week. Interested in joining the lab? Join us at a lab meeting or read some of our papers and contact us. Engineers, scientists, artists, and designers are all welcome.

Yon Visell
Yon Visell
Yon Visell
Yon Visell
Yon Visell

Selected Publications

B. Li, Y. Shi, A. K. Fontecchio, Y. Visell, Mechanical Imaging of Soft Tissues with a Highly Compliant Tactile Sensing Array. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2017.

T. N. Do, Y. Visell, Stretchable, Twisted Conductive Microtubules for Wearable Computing, Robotics, Electronics, and Healthcare. Nature Scientific Reports 7 (1753), 2017.

Y. Shao, V. Hayward, Y. Visell, Spatial Patterns of Cutaneous Vibration During Whole-Hand Haptic Interactions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113 (15), 2016.

B. Li, A. K. Fontecchio, Y. Visell, Mutual capacitance of liquid conductors in deformable tactile sensing arrays. Applied Physics Letters 108, 2016.

M. Chartier, N. Thomas, Y. Shao, Y. Visell, Toward a Wearable Tactile Sensory Amplification Device: Transfer Characteristics and Optimization. IEEE Haptics Symposium, 2016.

F. Steinecke, Y. Visell, J. Campos, A. Lecuyer (eds.), Human Walking in Virtual Environments: Perception, Technology, and Applications. Springer Verlag Series in Engineering, 2013.

Y. Visell, A. Law, J. Cooperstock, Touch is Everywhere: Floor Surfaces as Ambient Haptic Interfaces. IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 2 (3), July-September, 2009.