Development of a More Robust Scrolling Device

While working at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, my task was to research methods for scrolling through information and develop a system that would accomplish this task for a currently in development information system. The Joint Augmented Reality Vision Informatics System (JARVIS) project seeks to give astronauts more information within their suit environment via augmented reality. To navigate this data, two buttons and a scrolling device were seen as a minimal yet effective control layout. Conventional scroll devices are not designed for the harsh lunar environment including abrasive dust and high temperature fluctuations, therefore a new solution was needed.

My research covered numerous methods to scroll through data precisely yet continuously, including piezoelectric, harmonic, physical, optical, and magnetic methods. This research yielded numerous prototypes, and ultimately a magnetic solution was considered the most effective option. Using a novel system of alternating magnets, strong haptic feedback was produced which could be felt through pressurized spacesuit gloves, while rotation detection was developed using standard hall-effect sensors. The final device was a rocker switch, taking inspiration from similar devices in the Orion capsule, but using this novel magnetic system to create a dust tolerant detection mechanism.