2026-07-22T12:00:20Z https://drops.dagstuhl.de/oai

oai:drops-oai.dagstuhl.de:24011 2025-12-12T15:06:55Z ddc:004 open_access

Towards Passively Actuated Short-Range Telehaptics for Astronauts Boguslavskiy, Matvey Chappell, Digby Nanayakkara, Thrishantha Extra-vehicular Activity Mechanism Design Haptics Dexterity Tactility Human extra-vehicular activity (EVA) plays a vital role in current and near future space exploration for two reasons: the superior dexterity exhibited by human astronauts, and their flexible problem-solving and decision-making capabilities. However, the dexterity of astronauts during EVA is limited by the flexibility and tactility of their EVA suit gloves, which are primarily designed to provide thermal insulation and pressure for the hand. This creates a compromise between utility and protection. To address this compromise, a Passively Actuated Short-range Telehaptic (PAST) device is proposed. The PAST device couples the motion of fingers between a robotic hand and a human hand through a hydraulically actuated linkage. It also transfers tactile information, including pressure, direction of motion, and position of contact, via a taxel array. Results demonstrate that the proposed prototype PAST device surpasses an unpressurised benchmark heavy work glove (HWG) in tasks involving tactile position and motion direction identification. This provides evidence supporting the feasibility of enhancing astronaut dexterity during EVA through the use of PAST devices as an alternative paradigm to gloves. Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik Matvey Boguslavskiy and Digby Chappell and Thrishantha Nanayakkara 2025 Is Part Of OASIcs, Volume 130, Advancing Human-Computer Interaction for Space Exploration (SpaceCHI 2025) InProceedings Text doc-type:ResearchArticle publishedVersion application/pdf doi:10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.21 urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-240115 https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.21 eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode