hide
Free keywords:
-
Abstract:
At present, tactile displays are constructed either as shape or vibrotactile displays. While shape displays render the shape of objects to the skin, vibrotactile devices display high frequent but small amplitude patterns of forces. Existing tactile displays of both types base on an array of small pins, which move normal to the contact surface. That is, the pins create a pattern of indentation into the skin. Usually, the devices are applied to the human finger pad. However, in order to produce a realistic tactile impression of the environment it is probably as important to provide forces lateral to the human skin, so called shear forces. This is particularly reasonable when considering perceptions evoked by movements of the skin relative to the environment, e.g. when stroking with the finger across a surface. We aim at technically realizing a third type of tactile display which can provide shear forces. The poster presents the prototype of a shear force display for the finger tip and a first psychophysical evaluation. In order to explore whether the stimuli produced
by the display are appropriate for human perception we studied in a first step discrimination performance of humans for distinguishing between different directions of pin movement. This basic psychophysical knowledge that so far did not exist because the technology was not yet available will in return be used to improve the design of the display.
