Evaluation of Skin Deformation Tactile Feedback for Teleoperated Surgical Tasks.

During interaction with objects using a tool, we experience force and tactile feedback. One form of tactile feedback is local fingerpad skin deformation. In this paper, we provide haptic feedback to users of a teleoperation system through a skin deformation tactile feedback device.

Haptic Perception of Edge Sharpness in Real and Virtual Environments.

We investigate the accuracy with which the haptic sharpness perception of a virtual edge is matched to that of a real edge and the effect of the virtual surface stiffness on the match. The perceived sharpness of virtual edges was estimated in terms of the point of subjective equality (PSE) when participants matched the sharpness of virtual edges to that of real edges with a radius of 0.5, 2.

Sensory Substitution and Augmentation Using 3-Degree-of-Freedom Skin Deformation Feedback.

During tool-mediated interaction with everyday objects, we experience kinesthetic forces and tactile sensations in the form of vibration and skin deformation at the fingerpad. Fingerpad skin deformation is caused by forces applied tangentially and normally to the fingerpad skin, resulting in tangential and normal skin displacement. We designed a device to convey 3-degree-of-freedom (DoF) force information to the user via skin deformation, and conducted two experiments to determine the devices effectiveness for force-feedback substitution and augmentation.

Planar hand motion guidance using fingertip skin-stretch feedback.

In this paper, we show that a simple haptic device can accurately guide users through planar hand movements. The device guides the user through skin stretch feedback on the fingerpad of the user's index finger. In an angle matching test evaluating two types of stimuli, users are able to discriminate between eight stimulus directions and match the motion of their hand to the stimulus direction with 10 degree accuracy.

Human detection and discrimination of tactile repeatability, mechanical backlash, and temporal delay in a combined tactile-kinesthetic haptic display system.

Many of the devices used in haptics research are over-engineered for the task and are designed with capabilities that go far beyond human perception levels. Designing devices that more closely match the limits of human perception will make them smaller, less expensive, and more useful. However, many device-centric perception thresholds have yet to be evaluated.

Mental rotation of tactile stimuli: using directional haptic cues in mobile devices.

Haptic interfaces have the potential to enrich users' interactions with mobile devices and convey information without burdening the user's visual or auditory attention. Haptic stimuli with directional content, for example, navigational cues, may be difficult to use in handheld applications; the user's hand, where the cues are delivered, may not be aligned with the world, where the cues are to be interpreted. In such a case, the user would be required to mentally transform the stimuli between different reference frames.

Perception of Direction for Applied Tangential Skin Displacement: Effects of Speed, Displacement, and Repetition.

A variety of tasks could benefit from the availability of direction cues that do not rely on vision or sound. The application of tangential skin displacement at the fingertip has been found to be a reliable means of communicating direction and has potential to be rendered by a compact device. Our lab has conducted experiments exploring the use of this type of tactile stimulus to communicate direction.

Design of a Fingertip-Mounted Tactile Display with Tangential Skin Displacement Feedback.

Application of tangential skin displacement at the fingertip has been shown to be effective in communicating direction and has potential for several applications. We have developed a portable, fingertip-mounted tactile display capable of displacing and stretching the skin of the fingerpad, using a 7 mm hemispherical tactor. In vivo tests of fingerpad skin stiffness were performed to determine the forces required to effectively render stimuli.