The spacing member 1606 shown in FIG. 16A supports and holds the cutaneous actuators 1602 in place within the haptic communication device 1600. The spacing member 1606 contacts the dampening member 1604 and is separated from the body 1618 by the dampening member 1604, as shown in FIG. 16A. The spacing member 1606 may be made of stiff rubber to create a solid stack between the cutaneous actuators 1602 and the user's body 1618 to ensure that the cutaneous actuator 1602 is able to move against the user's skin and is not overly compressed during mounting. The stack is also sometimes referred to as “tolerance stack” and holds the cutaneous actuators 1602 up at a certain distance above the skin so that the magnet and coils of the cutaneous actuators 1602 can go through their range of motion and are not being pressed such that they are stuck away from the magnet center.
In an embodiment, the cutaneous actuators 1602 may be attached to a rigid curved surface of the spacing member 1606 and pressed into the skin to ensure that all the cutaneous actuators 1602 make contact with the skin. The consistent stack spacing ensures that the cutaneous actuators 1602 have reduced load and are able to move through their range of motion, more efficiently converting electrical energy to mechanical energy.
