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The components used in this tutorial have been compiled into a kit for convenience, which consists of the ESP32 D1 Mini microcontroller, the analog joystick, the vibration motor, and the 3D printed handheld enclosure. We’ve also listed the components one-by-one below in the event that the user has all or most of the components already at their disposal. The component list is also followed by the wiring diagram for the tutorial.

• Haptic Joystick Kit - $25 [Our Store]

Individual Component List:

• ESP32 D1 Mini - $14.00 [Our Store]

• Vibration Motor - $3.00 [Our Store]

• Analog Joystick - $5.00 [Our Store]

• Male-to-Female Jumper Wires - $1.20 (8pcs) [Our Store]

• Raspberry Pi 4 Computer - $69.99 (4GB) [Amazon], $119.99 (8GB Kit) [Amazon]

The pinout for the ESP32 D1 Mini is given below for reference, in the case that users want to change pins for the joystick or motor, or even add more sensors or motors to the project:

Lastly, the wiring diagram between the ESP32 D1 Mini and the vibration motor and joystick is given below:

The wiring configuration given above is used in the Arduino codes provided in the next section. Thus, any changes made to the wiring diagram will need to be implemented in the subsequent Arduino codes.

The Arduino code used in conjunction with the wiring configuration provided above can be found at the project’s GitHub page:

The code is also given below for reference:

The code does out the following:

1. Sets the analog joystick pins as inputs (analog inputs on pins 34/35, and digital input on pin 14)

2. Sets digital pin 2 as a digital output for the vibration motor

3. Reads offset values from the joystick (for centering response from -0.5 to +0.5, rather than 0-1)

4. Reads joystick inputs (Rx, Ry, SW)

5. Excites the vibration motor based on the Rx, Ry, SW values

Haptic Responses from Joystick

Now we can test the haptic responses of the vibration motor based on the joystick movements. First, moving the joystick to the left results in a constant vibration, which we have prescribed in the function ‘buzz_now()’ - which contains the specific response of the vibration motor controlled by the ESP32 microcontroller. The following breaks down the if() statement in the loop() above, telling us what happens when the joystick is moved to given positions:

(Rx<-0.1)     buzz_now(1,100,0,0); // (joystick left) buzz without delays

(Ry<-0.1)
    buzz_now(2,100,100,0); // (joystick down) buzz on/off equally for 100ms 

(Rx>0.1){
    buzz_now(1,600,200,0); // (joystick right) long buzz 600ms on, 200 off 

(Ry>0.1){
    buzz_now(3,80,80,150); // (joystick up) buzz with 'train' style rhythm

(SW==0){
    buzz_now(2,150,150,300); // (joystick press) heartbeat rhythm (dual buzz, with delay)

These different haptic vibration feedback profiles can be customized to fit the user’s desired application, whether it relates to buzz length or buzz number or delay between buzzes - it’s completely customizable down to the resolution of the vibration motor. For the motor used here, we’re able to buzz on/off within about 50-80ms, which is likely the limit of the hardware. Delays smaller than 50ms tend to blend together as one buzz. The user may want to change the number of buzzes to relate to cardinal directions, or even change the delay between buzzes based on navigational accuracy (longer delay for further away, shorter delay for closer). There are many opportunities available to the user based on customization and desired outcome!

Below is a video demonstration of our haptic joystick for the different joystick movements. Make sure to turn on audio to hear the buzzes created by the vibration motor:

A vibration motor and joystick were used to create a haptic feedback device using the Arduino platform. As a response to specific changes in joystick position, we prescribed vibration motor actions corresponding to the movement of the joystick. This allowed us to create haptic vibration feedback similar to those used in video games and virtual reality systems. The goal of this tutorial was to introduce users to haptic technology that can immerse users into the digital world using physical feedback mechanisms, such as vibration. Different tunings of the vibration motor can provide users with instructions based on their input, which makes this type of application useful for enhancing digital media, as referenced above, or situations such as visually impaired navigation, feedback in auditory-restricted environments, and delivering quiet notifications to users. Haptics can be incredibly useful in emulating the real world and immersing users into scenarios that may otherwise be dangerous or difficult to experience. Vibrational haptic feedback is just one of a series of haptic mechanisms, and this tutorial was just a simple entry into a wide ranging and evolving field of human computer interaction.

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