Haptics: Science, Technology, Applications

This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Human Haptic Sensing and Touch Enabled Computer Applications, EuroHaptics 2020, held in Leiden, The Netherlands, in September 2020. The 60 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 111 submissions. The were organized in topical sections on haptic science, haptic technology, and haptic applications. This year's focus is on accessibility

Haptics: Science, Technology, Applications

This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Human Haptic Sensing and Touch Enabled Computer Applications, EuroHaptics 2020, held in Leiden, The Netherlands, in September 2020. The 60 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 111 submissions. The were organized in topical sections on haptic science, haptic technology, and haptic applications. This year's focus is on accessibility

Haptics: Science, Technology, Applications

This open access book constitutes the proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Human Haptic Sensing and Touch Enabled Computer Applications, EuroHaptics 2022, held in Hamburg, Germany, in May 2022. The 36 regular papers included in this book were carefully reviewed and selected from 129 submissions. They were organized in topical sections as follows: haptic science; haptic technology; and haptic applications

Pseudo-haptics survey: Human-computer interaction in extended reality & teleoperation

Pseudo-haptic techniques are becoming increasingly popular in human-computer interaction. They replicate haptic sensations by leveraging primarily visual feedback rather than mechanical actuators. These techniques bridge the gap between the real and virtual worlds by exploring the brain’s ability to integrate visual and haptic information. One of the many advantages of pseudo-haptic techniques is that they are cost-effective, portable, and flexible. They eliminate the need for direct attachment of haptic devices to the body, which can be heavy and large and require a lot of power and maintenance. Recent research has focused on applying these techniques to extended reality and mid-air interactions. To better understand the potential of pseudo-haptic techniques, the authors developed a novel taxonomy encompassing tactile feedback, kinesthetic feedback, and combined categories in multimodal approaches, ground not covered by previous surveys. This survey highlights multimodal strategies and potential avenues for future studies, particularly regarding integrating these techniques into extended reality and collaborative virtual environments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Enriching passive touch sensation on flat surfaces using visual feedback

While human computer interaction has evolved around touch interaction a lot in recent years, it's been lacking any haptic feedback from the very beginning. Nowadays, devices using touch interaction all to do on a flat surface, using either a projection of digital contents or a touch screen. Since haptic feedback is an important factor in human surface perception, people have tried various ways to simulate haptic feedback even on completely flat surfaces. One of these ways is electrotacile feedback, which has mostly been used to simulate surface properties on active touch where the user has to move their finger over the surface in order to feel the haptic sensation. Previous research shows that vision is also a very important factor in surface perception and proprioception in general. We conducted a user study to investigate the influence of visual feedback on passive touch using electrotactile feedback. We concentrated on simulating depth instead of roughness which doesn't word particularly well for passive touch. We found that even though both electrotactile and visual feedback work well for depth or softness if applied individually, as soon as we presented our study subjects a condition with both feedback types, they did not repond to it anymore.Während sich die Mensch-Computer-Interaktion in den letzten Jahren stark um Touch-Interaktion entwickelt hat, hat dieser Interaktion von Anfang an jegliche Form des haptischen Feedbacks gefehlt. Heutzutage nuten alle touchfähigen Gerate flache Displays oder Projektionen von digitalen Inhalten auf flache Oberflächen. Da haptisches Feedback ein wichtiger Faktor der menschlichen Oberflächenwahrnehmung ist wurden schon viele Wege erforscht um haptisches Feedback auf komplett flachen Oberflächen zu simulieren. Eine dieser Wege ist elektrotaktiles Feedback was bisher hauptsächlich benutzt wurde um Oberflächeneigenschaften bei aktiver Berührung zu simulieren, also bei einem sich bewegenden Finger auf der Oberfläche. Vorige Studien zeigen auch, dass Visuelle Reize ein wichtiger Faktor bei der Oberflächenwahrnehmung sind und sogar die Wahrnehmung im Generellen dominieren. Wir haben eine Benutzerstudie durchgeführt um den Einfluss von visuellem Feedback auf passive Berührungen mit elektrotaktilem Feedback zu bestimmen. Wir haben und auf die Simulaton von Tiefe statt Rauhheit konzentriert, was schlecht mit passiven Berührungen funktioniert. Unsere Studie hat gezeigt dass obwohl das elektrotaktile und das visuelle Feedback alleine gut funktionieren um Weichheit oder Tiefe zu simulieren, beide Feedbackarten zusammen keine signifikanten Unterschiede erzielen

Haptics Rendering and Applications

There has been significant progress in haptic technologies but the incorporation of haptics into virtual environments is still in its infancy. A wide range of the new society's human activities including communication, education, art, entertainment, commerce and science would forever change if we learned how to capture, manipulate and reproduce haptic sensory stimuli that are nearly indistinguishable from reality. For the field to move forward, many commercial and technological barriers need to be overcome. By rendering how objects feel through haptic technology, we communicate information that might reflect a desire to speak a physically- based language that has never been explored before. Due to constant improvement in haptics technology and increasing levels of research into and development of haptics-related algorithms, protocols and devices, there is a belief that haptics technology has a promising future

Modeling of frictional forces during bare-finger interactions with solid surfaces

Touching an object with our fingers yields frictional forces that allow us to perceive and explore its texture, shape, and other features, facilitating grasping and manipulation. While the relevance of dynamic frictional forces to sensory and motor function in the hand is well established, the way that they reflect the shape, features, and composition of touched objects is poorly understood. Haptic displays -electronic interfaces for stimulating the sense of touch- often aim to elicit the perceptual experience of touching real surfaces by delivering forces to the fingers that mimic those felt when touching real surfaces. However, the design and applications of such displays have been limited by the lack of knowledge about what forces are felt during real touch interactions. This represents a major gap in current knowledge about tactile function and haptic engineering. This dissertation addresses some aspects that would assist in their understanding. The goal of this research was to measure, characterize, and model frictional forces produced by a bare finger sliding over surfaces of multiple shapes. The major contributions of this work are (1) the design and development of a sensing system for capturing fingertip motion and forces during tactile exploration of real surfaces; (2) measurement and characterization of contact forces and the deformation of finger tissues during sliding over relief surfaces; (3) the development of a low order model of frictional force production based on surface specifications; (4) the analysis and modeling of contact geometry, interfacial mechanics, and their effects in frictional force production during tactile exploration of relief surfaces. This research aims to guide the design of algorithms for the haptic rendering of surface textures and shape. Such algorithms can be used to enhance human-machine interfaces, such as touch-screen displays, by (1) enabling users to feel surface characteristics also presented visually; (2) facilitating interaction with these devices; and (3) reducing the need for visual input to interact with them.Ph.D., Electrical Engineering -- Drexel University, 201

Haptic Media Scenes

The aim of this thesis is to apply new media phenomenological and enactive embodied cognition approaches to explain the role of haptic sensitivity and communication in personal computer environments for productivity. Prior theory has given little attention to the role of haptic senses in influencing cognitive processes, and do not frame the richness of haptic communication in interaction design—as haptic interactivity in HCI has historically tended to be designed and analyzed from a perspective on communication as transmissions, sending and receiving haptic signals. The haptic sense may not only mediate contact confirmation and affirmation, but also rich semiotic and affective messages—yet this is a strong contrast between this inherent ability of haptic perception, and current day support for such haptic communication interfaces. I therefore ask: How do the haptic senses (touch and proprioception) impact our cognitive faculty when mediated through digital and sensor technologies? How may these insights be employed in interface design to facilitate rich haptic communication? To answer these questions, I use theoretical close readings that embrace two research fields, new media phenomenology and enactive embodied cognition. The theoretical discussion is supported by neuroscientific evidence, and tested empirically through case studies centered on digital art. I use these insights to develop the concept of the haptic figura, an analytical tool to frame the communicative qualities of haptic media. The concept gauges rich machine- mediated haptic interactivity and communication in systems with a material solution supporting active haptic perception, and the mediation of semiotic and affective messages that are understood and felt. As such the concept may function as a design tool for developers, but also for media critics evaluating haptic media. The tool is used to frame a discussion on opportunities and shortcomings of haptic interfaces for productivity, differentiating between media systems for the hand and the full body. The significance of this investigation is demonstrating that haptic communication is an underutilized element in personal computer environments for productivity and providing an analytical framework for a more nuanced understanding of haptic communication as enabling the mediation of a range of semiotic and affective messages, beyond notification and confirmation interactivity

Designing a New Tactile Display Technology and its Disability Interactions

People with visual impairments have a strong desire for a refreshable tactile interface that can provide immediate access to full page of Braille and tactile graphics. Regrettably, existing devices come at a considerable expense and remain out of reach for many. The exorbitant costs associated with current tactile displays stem from their intricate design and the multitude of components needed for their construction. This underscores the pressing need for technological innovation that can enhance tactile displays, making them more accessible and available to individuals with visual impairments. This research thesis delves into the development of a novel tactile display technology known as Tacilia. This technology's necessity and prerequisites are informed by in-depth qualitative engagements with students who have visual impairments, alongside a systematic analysis of the prevailing architectures underpinning existing tactile display technologies. The evolution of Tacilia unfolds through iterative processes encompassing conceptualisation, prototyping, and evaluation. With Tacilia, three distinct products and interactive experiences are explored, empowering individuals to manually draw tactile graphics, generate digitally designed media through printing, and display these creations on a dynamic pin array display. This innovation underscores Tacilia's capability to streamline the creation of refreshable tactile displays, rendering them more fitting, usable, and economically viable for people with visual impairments