IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - March 2017 - 67

WoodenHaptics Starter Kit
CAD Models (.sldpart)
CAD Assembly Models (.sldasm)
Electronics Schematics (.sch)
Bill of Materials (Spreadsheet)
Driver Source Code (.cpp)
Microcontroller Source Code (.cpp)

CAM Files, i.e., Lasercut (.ai)
Additional Assembly Instructions
Order-Ready PCB (.brd)
Additional Sourcing Instructions
Software API Bundle (.zip)
Compiled Binaries (.out)

(a)

(b)

Plywood Cut Parts
Assembled Electronics Box
Soldered PCB
Complete Collection of Parts
Collection of Necessary Tools
Compiled Demo Applications
(c)

Assembled Haptic
Device Connected
PC Working Demos
(d)
Unique Modification
Some Modules Intact,
Some Parts Added/
Modified
(e)

Figure 2. The different levels at which WoodenHaptics can be approached. Digital files can be hosted on a public version control
system (such as GitHub). (a) The source is the digital files mentioned in the box. Also, (b) for convenience, fabrication-ready files are
provided, with the additional benefit, in case of laser-cut vector graphics files, of being more accessible to non-CAD users. Most users
or facilitators, however, are presumed to approach a (c) prepackaged physical kit, which the user or facilitator may fabricate.
(d) Assembling the contents of the starter kit results in a fully working device and gives construction experience useful prior to
(e) deciding to start on a new device or explore variations. CAM: computer-assisted manufacturing.

constructed with the goal of teaching engineering concepts
through hands-on experience.
This article extends previous work on WoodenHaptics [3],
where WoodenHaptics was introduced as a starter kit for
materials exploration, design, and realization of applicationspecific force-reflecting haptic devices, primarily for the HCI
community. In this article, we elaborate our efforts to make
the kit itself open source, and we report on the early community reception.
What distinguishes our kit from a tool kit is that we
provide one reference design rather than a set of generic components. The term starter kit is derived from the concept of
hobbyist starter kits-for example, in model train sets. A
working device can be built but can also be extended or
changed. The kit can be approached both in its digital source
form and as a physical kit (Figure 2). The intended audience
is nonexperts interested in haptic device exploration, especially for applications requiring different form factors (e.g., length
of arms) and other properties (e.g., maximum force) that
off-the-shelf devices won't provide-something we in our
own practice have seen a need for.
Kit Contents, Fabrication, and Use
The kit, once fabricated from its digital plans, consists of a
complete set of hardware components that make up a full spatial haptic device. This includes all the precut plywood parts,
screws, bearings, and other mechanical components
(Figure  3). The kit is completed with three motors (Maxon
RE40) with premounted encoders and an electronics box
(Figure 4) that connects to a 48-V laboratory power supply
and a stationary personal computer (PC) equipped with a data
acquisition interface (DAQ). The DAQ used is the Sensoray
S826, a PCI express slot card. Alternatively, at the cost of lower
maximum update rates, the mbed microcontroller platform
can be used, which enables a generic universal serial bus
(USB) interface (Figure 4). The kit requires only a limited set
of tools: hex keys, a steel-wire crimping tool and cutters, a
butane torch, and an arbor press (Figure 5). A list of these

Figure 3. The parts included in the kit. Not shown here are the
three motors, the electrical cables and electronics box (Figure 4),
and the configurable software that complete the kit.

tools and where to purchase them is available online, and several tools (such as the torch and press) are low cost (approximately US$11.20) but can also be replaced by such items as a
lighter and a mallet. The approximate parts cost of the kit is
between approximately US$2,670 and approximately
US$3,740, depending on whether the DAQ or USB/mbed is
used, if wooden parts are cut locally or ordered, and if any
tools need to be purchased. The single largest cost is the
motors: approximately US$1,520 for three RE40s with encoders. The software required to operate the device is included as
well, in the form of an extension to the open-source haptics
application programming interface (API) Chai3D 3.0. Thus,
the builder can immediately run available demo programs and
proceed to application-specific development.
The nonstandard parts and components are designed to
be fabricated using digital (and personal) fabrication processes by the user or by a company on behalf of the user. The kit is
march 2017

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IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE

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