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 1 mm at low voltages, with 5 to 100 ms response times, making them attractive as actuators providing tactile feedback in human-machine interfaces. Perceptual testing revealed that the strength of tactile feedback increased linearly with optical power. HLEDs devices are mechanically simple and efficient to fabricate. Unusually, these actuators are also light-emitting, as a fraction of optical energy is transmitted through the membrane. These opto-mechanical 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（HLEDs），这是一种发光热致动器，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封装于充气腔体内，腔体包含低惯量石墨光吸收体。腔体由弹性膜密封，该膜作为工作隔膜。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隔膜处产生力与位移。毫米级HLEDs在低电压下可产生超过0.4 N的力和1 mm的位移，响应时间为5至100 ms，使其成为人机界面中提供触觉反馈的极具吸引力的致动器。感知测试表明，触觉反馈强度随光功率线性增加。HLEDs器件结构简单且易于高效制造。特别的是，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。