The dampening member 1604 shown in FIG. 16A is a portion of the haptic communication device 1600 that dampens the haptic vibrations 1616. The dampening member 1604 is proximate to the body 1618 of the user wearing the haptic communication device 1600. In one embodiment (illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 16D below), the dampening member 1604 may directly contact the body 1618 of the user wearing the haptic communication device 1600. In another embodiment (illustrated and described with respect to FIG. 16G below), the dampening member 1604 may be enclosed within a housing, which directly contacts the body 1618 of the user. In this embodiment, the dampening member is located between a roof of the housing and the cutaneous actuator, which is also enclosed by the housing.
By dampening the haptic vibrations 1616 generated by the cutaneous actuators 1602, the dampening member 1604 focuses the haptic vibrations 1616 at distinct locations on the body. In FIG. 16A, the dampening member 1604 focuses the haptic vibrations 1616 at the distinct location on the body 1618 contacting the end effector 1620. The dampening member 1604 contacts skin around the end effector 1620 to dampen the vibrations 1616 propagating down the skin for improved localization. “Durometer” is one of several measures of the hardness of a material. The dampening member 1604 is stiffer (e.g., durometer 20-50) than the cushioning member 1612 and serves as an interface between the stiff spacing member 1606 and the skin.
