Design and Performance Analysis of a Skin-Stretcher Device for Urging Head Rotation

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel skin-stretcher device for gently urging head rotation. The device pulls and/or pushes the skin on the user's neck by using servo motors. The user is induced to rotate his/her head based on the sensation caused by the local stretching of skin. This mechanism informs the user when and how much the head rotation is requested; however it does not force head rotation, i.e., it allows the user to ignore the stimuli and to maintain voluntary movements. We implemented a prototype device and analyzed the performance of the skin stretcher as a human-in-the-loop system. Experimental results define its fundamental characteristics, such as input-output gain, settling time, and other dynamic behaviors. Features are analyzed, for example, input-output gain is stable within the same installation condition, but various between users.