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DOI: 10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.21

Towards Passively Actuated Short-Range Telehaptics for Astronauts

Authors: Matvey Boguslavskiy, Digby Chappell, and Thrishantha Nanayakkara

Published in: OASIcs, Volume 130, Advancing Human-Computer Interaction for Space Exploration (SpaceCHI 2025)

Abstract

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.

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Matvey Boguslavskiy, Digby Chappell, and Thrishantha Nanayakkara. Towards Passively Actuated Short-Range Telehaptics for Astronauts. In Advancing Human-Computer Interaction for Space Exploration (SpaceCHI 2025). Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs), Volume 130, pp. 21:1-21:16, Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz-Zentrum für Informatik (2025)

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@InProceedings{boguslavskiy_et_al:OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.21,
  author =	{Boguslavskiy, Matvey and Chappell, Digby and Nanayakkara, Thrishantha},
  title =	{{Towards Passively Actuated Short-Range Telehaptics for Astronauts}},
  booktitle =	{Advancing Human-Computer Interaction for Space Exploration (SpaceCHI 2025)},
  pages =	{21:1--21:16},
  series =	{Open Access Series in Informatics (OASIcs)},
  ISBN =	{978-3-95977-384-3},
  ISSN =	{2190-6807},
  year =	{2025},
  volume =	{130},
  editor =	{Bensch, Leonie and Nilsson, Tommy and Nisser, Martin and Pataranutaporn, Pat and Schmidt, Albrecht and Sumini, Valentina},
  publisher =	{Schloss Dagstuhl -- Leibniz-Zentrum f{\"u}r Informatik},
  address =	{Dagstuhl, Germany},
  URL =		{https://drops.dagstuhl.de/entities/document/10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.21},
  URN =		{urn:nbn:de:0030-drops-240115},
  doi =		{10.4230/OASIcs.SpaceCHI.2025.21},
  annote =	{Keywords: Extra-vehicular Activity, Mechanism Design, Haptics, Dexterity, Tactility}
}

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Towards Passively Actuated Short-Range Telehaptics for Astronauts

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