Optimization of the Force Feedback of a Dishwasher Door Putting the Human in the Design Loop

The aim of the research work described in the paper is to enable designers to optimize the force feedback of a dishwasher door, in order to improve the user experience with the product at the moment of purchase. This is obtained by allowing the user to test the product since the beginning of the design process through the use of interactive Virtual Prototypes based on haptic technologies. A commercially available dishwasher is used as case study. The mechanical system producing the force feedback is modeled in a multi-domain simulation environment, and in parallel a parameterized simplified simulation is made available to the user through a force feedback haptic device. That feedback can be easily modified on user’s requests and the desired behavior can be sent back to the multi-domain simulation, which optimizes the system to behave in the desired way. How to correctly involve humans into the proposed design framework is also discussed, highlighting their key role in determining product characteristics.