We present Haptic Light-Emitting Diodes (HLEDs), luminous thermopneumatic actuators that directly convert pulsed light into mechanical forces and displacements. Each device packages a miniature surface-mount LED in a gas-filled cavity that contains a low-inertia graphite photoabsorber. The cavity is sealed by an elastic membrane, which functions as a working diaphragm. Brief optical pulses heat the photoabsorber, which heats the gas. The resulting rapid pressure increases generate forces and displacements at the working diaphragm. Millimeter-scale HLEDs produce forces exceeding 0.4 N and displacements of 0.9 mm at low voltages, with 5 to 100 ms response times, making them attractive as actuators providing tactile feedback in human-machine interfaces. Unusually, these actuators are also light-emitting, as a fraction of optical energy is transmitted through the membrane. These photomechanical actuators have many potential applications in tactile displays, human interface engineering, wearable computing, and other areas.

翻译：本文提出触觉发光二极管（HLED），这是一种发光的温热致动器，能够直接将脉冲光转换为机械力与位移。每个器件将微型表面贴装LED封装于一个充满气体的腔体内，腔体中包含一个低惯性的石墨光吸收体。该腔体由弹性薄膜密封，该薄膜作为工作膜片。短暂的光脉冲加热光吸收体，进而加热气体。由此产生的快速压力升高在工作膜片上产生力与位移。毫米尺度的HLED在低电压下可产生超过0.4 N的力和0.9 mm的位移，响应时间为5至100毫秒，这使得它们作为人机界面中提供触觉反馈的致动器极具吸引力。不同寻常的是，这些致动器同时具有发光特性，因为部分光能会透过薄膜传输。这类光机械致动器在触觉显示器、人机界面工程、可穿戴计算及其他领域具有广泛的应用潜力。