Multi-Sensory Stimuli Improve Distinguishability of Cutaneous Haptic Cues

IEEE Trans Haptics. 2020 Apr-Jun;13(2):286-297. doi: 10.1109/TOH.2019.2922901. Epub 2019 Jun 14.

Abstract

Wearable haptic systems offer portable, private tactile communication to a human user. To date, advances in wearable haptic devices have typically focused on the optimization of haptic cue transmission using a single modality, or have combined two types of cutaneous feedbacks, each mapped to a particular parameter of the task. Alternatively, researchers have employed arrays of haptic tactile actuators to maximize information throughput to a user. However, when large cue sets are to be transmitted, such as those required to communicate language, perceptual interference between transmitted cues can decrease the efficacy of single-sensory systems, or require large footprints to ensure salient spatiotemporal cues are rendered to the user. In this paper, we present a wearable, multi-sensory haptic feedback system, MISSIVE (Multi-sensory Interface of Stretch, Squeeze, and Integrated Vibration Elements), that conveys multi-sensory haptic cues to the user's upper arm. We present experimental results that demonstrate that rendering haptic cues with multi-sensory components-specifically, lateral skin stretch, radial squeeze, and vibrotactile stimuli-improved perceptual distinguishability in comparison to similar cues with all-vibrotactile components. These results support the incorporation of diverse stimuli, both vibrotactile and nonvibrotactile, for applications requiring large haptic cue sets.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Cues*
  • Feedback, Sensory / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Skin Physiological Phenomena*
  • Touch Perception / physiology*
  • Wearable Electronic Devices*