AUTD3 SDK

What is AUTD3

AUTD3 is an ultrasound phased array device for midair haptics. An ultrasound phased array is an array of ultrasound transducers (typically arranged in a grid) whose phases can be controlled individually. Controlling the phase of the ultrasound makes it possible to generate an arbitrary sound field in space.

The energy of an acoustic wave focused tightly enough by a phased array produces acoustic radiation pressure. This pressure can be used to push the surface of a human body without contact. The position of the focal point can be steered freely by controlling the phased array electronically. Furthermore, by solving the inverse problem, one can create not only a single focal point but a more complex spatial distribution of sound pressure.

The upper bound on the pressure a phased array can currently generate is roughly . The spatial resolution is limited to about the wavelength in use (for example, about at ). Despite these constraints, phased arrays attract attention as a technology that can freely design the spatio-temporal distribution of force and thereby produce a wide variety of tactile sensations.

This field of stimulating the sense of touch without contact is called midair haptics, and we call this ultrasound midair haptic device the Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display (AUTD). The essential parts of AUTD were proposed and established by the University of Tokyo between 2008¹ and the early 2010s². Since then, universities and companies around the world have entered the field, and research and development have been active. AUTD3 is the third-generation version of AUTD developed in the Shinoda-Makino Lab at the University of Tokyo. A list of research using AUTD is available on the laboratory website.

If you use AUTD3 in your research, see Citation.

What is the AUTD3 SDK

The AUTD3 SDK is a set of client libraries for controlling the AUTD3 ultrasound phased array.

Getting StartedHardware, firmware and software setup.

TutorialBasic usage with a single device and with multiple devices.

API ReferenceDetails of Geometry / Client / Pattern / Modulation / STM / Link and more.

GuideArchitecture and design philosophy, and how each feature works.

Footnotes

1. Takayuki Iwamoto, Mari Tatezono, and Hiroyuki Shinoda: Non-contact Method for Producing Tactile Sensation Using Airborne Ultrasound, Haptics: Perception, Devices and Scenarios: 6th International Conference, Eurohaptics 2008 Proceedings (Lecture Notes in Computer Science), pp.504-513, 2008. ↩

2. Takayuki Hoshi, Masafumi Takahashi, Takayuki Iwamoto, and Hiroyuki Shinoda: Noncontact Tactile Display Based on Radiation Pressure of Airborne Ultrasound, IEEE Trans. on Haptics, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp.155-165, 2010. ↩