  Creating haptic interfaces capable of rendering the rich sensation needed for
dexterous manipulation is crucial for the advancement of human-in-the-loop
telerobotic systems (HiLTS). One limiting factor has been the absence of
detailed knowledge of the effect of operator limb dynamics and haptic
exploration dynamics on haptic perception. We propose to begin investigations
of these effects with single-joint haptic exploration and feedback of physical
and virtual environments. Here, we present our experimental apparatus, a 1-DoF
rotational kinesthetic haptic device and electromyography (EMG) system, along
with preliminary findings from our efforts to investigate the change in
stiffness discrimination thresholds for differing exploration velocities.
Result trends indicate a possible relationship between exploration velocity and
discrimination thresholds, as well as a complex interaction between muscle
activation, exploration velocity, and haptic feedback.
