Tactile modulation of emotional speech samples

Copyright © 2012 Katri Salminen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly citedTraditionally only speech communicates emotions via mobile phone. However, in daily communication the sense of touch mediates emotional information during conversation. The present aim was to study if tactile stimulation affects emotional ratings of speech when measured with scales of pleasantness, arousal, approachability, and dominance. In the Experiment 1 participants rated speech-only and speech-tactile stimuli. The tactile signal mimicked the amplitude changes of the speech. In the Experiment 2 the aim was to study whether the way the tactile signal was produced affected the ratings. The tactile signal either mimicked the amplitude changes of the speech sample in question, or the amplitude changes of another speech sample. Also, concurrent static vibration was included. The results showed that the speech-tactile stimuli were rated as more arousing and dominant than the speech-only stimuli. The speech-only stimuli were rated as more approachable than the speech-tactile stimuli, but only in the Experiment 1. Variations in tactile stimulation also affected the ratings. When the tactile stimulation was static vibration the speech-tactile stimuli were rated as more arousing than when the concurrent tactile stimulation was mimicking speech samples. The results suggest that tactile stimulation offers new ways of modulating and enriching the interpretation of speech.Peer reviewe

Vibrotactile Stimulation as an Instructor for Mimicry-Based Physical Exercise

The present aim was to investigate functionality of vibrotactile stimulation in mimicry-based behavioral regulation during physical exercise. Vibrotactile stimuli communicated instructions from an instructor to an exerciser to perform lower extremity movements. A wireless prototype was tested first in controlled laboratory conditions (Study 1) and was followed by a user study (Study 2) that was conducted in a group exercise situation for elderly participants with a new version of the system with improved construction and extended functionality. The results of Study 1 showed that vibrotactile instructions were successful in both supplementing and substituting visual knee lift instructions. Vibrotactile stimuli were accurately recognized, and exercise with the device received affirmative ratings. Interestingly, tactile stimulation appeared to stabilize acceleration magnitude of the knee lifts in comparison to visual instructions. In Study 2 it was found that user experience of the system was mainly positive by both the exercisers and their instructors. For example, exercise with vibrotactile instructions was experienced as more motivating than conventional exercise session. Together the results indicate that tactile instructions could increase possibilities for people having difficulties in following visual and auditory instructions to take part in mimicry-based group training. Both studies also revealed development areas that were primarily related to a slight delay in triggering the vibrotactile stimulation

Exploring Mid-air Gestural Interfaces for Children with ADHD

This study examined the potential of mid-air gestural interfaces specifically designed for children, in the context of full-body motion control for confirmation actions while interacting with large conventional displays. The study aimed to investigate gestures for confirmation actions that were feasible for children, including children with challenges in behavior control and impulse inhibition. Two scenarios were explored, namely, active full-body gesturing (i.e., jumps and jumps with hands up) and freezing (i.e., motionless posture) to identify their usability for confirmation actions. Experiment I involved 11 typically developing children playing the game to check the system’s general functionality and robustness. Experiment II involved 18 children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to evaluate a prolonged usage of the confirmation gestures in six game sessions. The results showed that the children were able to interact with the large conventional displays with consistent accuracy and responsiveness in both active gesturing and freezing scenarios. Moreover, jumps with rising hands were significantly preferred as an interaction input method. Further, there was no significant difference in ratings of the difficulty of freezing gesture, and children successfully repeated the predefined postures. The findings provided insights into the functionality and suitability of mid-air gestural interfaces for confirmation actions in interactive applications targeted to children.Peer reviewe

Ihmisen toiminnan sääteleminen värinäherätteiden avulla

Tuntoaistin välittämä tieto on tärkeä perusta ympäristön ja muiden ihmisten kanssa tapahtuvalle vuorovaikutukselle. Tuntoaistimukset tarjoavat tietoa käyttäytymisen säätelemiseksi esimerkiksi suuntaamalla tarkkaavaisuuttamme ja ohjaamalla kehomme liikkeitä. Tässä väitöskirjassa tutkittiin teknologian välittämää, värinän avulla tuotettua tietoa ihmisen toiminnan säätelemiseksi. Väitöskirjan tavoitteena oli selvittää, miten erilaisten värinäherätteiden avulla voidaan luoda helposti ymmärrettäviä ohjeita esimerkiksi nopeuden säätelemiseksi liikuntaharjoituksen aikana ja miten ne mahdollistaisivat nopean reaktion esimerkiksi hätäjarrutuksen tekemiseksi vaarallisessa ajotilanteessa. Neljän kontrolloidun laboratoriokokeen tulokset osoittivat, että melko yksinkertaisen tuntopalauteteknologian avulla on mahdollista välittää tietoa käyttäjän toiminnan säätelemiseksi monissa tilanteissa. Lisäksi tulokset osoittivat, että keinotekoisesti tuotetut värinäohjeet voivat olla intuitiivisia siten, että niiden merkitys on helppo ymmärtää jopa ilman opettelua. Värinäohjeet osoittautuivat tehokkaiksi ja miellyttäviksi sekä yksinään että samanaikaisesti visuaalisten ohjeiden kanssa esitettyinä. Väitöskirjan tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää kehitettäessä uusia tuntoaistia hyödyntäviä sovelluksia. Helposti ymmärrettävän, keinotekoisesti tuotetun tuntoinformaation avulla voitaisiin parantaa turvallisuutta ja teknologian käytettävyyttä vähentämällä näkö- ja kuuloaistin varassa esitetyn tiedon määrää ja siitä käyttäjälle aiheutuvaa kuormitusta.The sense of touch is a profound means of interaction with objects, surroundings, and other people. Additionally, touch sensations offer essential information for the regulation of behavior by directing our attention and controlling our body movements. This thesis investigated technology-mediated vibrotactile touch information in interactive applications guiding human behavior. The aim was to contribute a profound understanding of how vibrotactile stimulations can be designed to be easily understood to, for example, change tempo in physical exercise, and result in fast response to, for example, apply brakes while driving. The results of four controlled laboratory experiments showed that relatively simple vibrotactile technology can be used to effectively communicate different types of instructions on how to regulate behavior. Further, the results showed that vibrotactile cues can be experimentally designed so that they are intuitive in terms of being intelligible even without teaching them prior to the usage. Vibrotactile instructions turned out to be effective, comfortable, and preferred in compensating and augmenting visual instructions. The results can be utilized in designing touch-based information delivery, which would enable better concentration on primary functions such as observing the environment and improve safety while interacting with technology

Ihmisen toiminnan sääteleminen värinäherätteiden avulla

Tuntoaistin välittämä tieto on tärkeä perusta ympäristön ja muiden ihmisten kanssa tapahtuvalle vuorovaikutukselle. Tuntoaistimukset tarjoavat tietoa käyttäytymisen säätelemiseksi esimerkiksi suuntaamalla tarkkaavaisuuttamme ja ohjaamalla kehomme liikkeitä. Tässä väitöskirjassa tutkittiin teknologian välittämää, värinän avulla tuotettua tietoa ihmisen toiminnan säätelemiseksi. Väitöskirjan tavoitteena oli selvittää, miten erilaisten värinäherätteiden avulla voidaan luoda helposti ymmärrettäviä ohjeita esimerkiksi nopeuden säätelemiseksi liikuntaharjoituksen aikana ja miten ne mahdollistaisivat nopean reaktion esimerkiksi hätäjarrutuksen tekemiseksi vaarallisessa ajotilanteessa. Neljän kontrolloidun laboratoriokokeen tulokset osoittivat, että melko yksinkertaisen tuntopalauteteknologian avulla on mahdollista välittää tietoa käyttäjän toiminnan säätelemiseksi monissa tilanteissa. Lisäksi tulokset osoittivat, että keinotekoisesti tuotetut värinäohjeet voivat olla intuitiivisia siten, että niiden merkitys on helppo ymmärtää jopa ilman opettelua. Värinäohjeet osoittautuivat tehokkaiksi ja miellyttäviksi sekä yksinään että samanaikaisesti visuaalisten ohjeiden kanssa esitettyinä. Väitöskirjan tuloksia voidaan hyödyntää kehitettäessä uusia tuntoaistia hyödyntäviä sovelluksia. Helposti ymmärrettävän, keinotekoisesti tuotetun tuntoinformaation avulla voitaisiin parantaa turvallisuutta ja teknologian käytettävyyttä vähentämällä näkö- ja kuuloaistin varassa esitetyn tiedon määrää ja siitä käyttäjälle aiheutuvaa kuormitusta.The sense of touch is a profound means of interaction with objects, surroundings, and other people. Additionally, touch sensations offer essential information for the regulation of behavior by directing our attention and controlling our body movements. This thesis investigated technology-mediated vibrotactile touch information in interactive applications guiding human behavior. The aim was to contribute a profound understanding of how vibrotactile stimulations can be designed to be easily understood to, for example, change tempo in physical exercise, and result in fast response to, for example, apply brakes while driving. The results of four controlled laboratory experiments showed that relatively simple vibrotactile technology can be used to effectively communicate different types of instructions on how to regulate behavior. Further, the results showed that vibrotactile cues can be experimentally designed so that they are intuitive in terms of being intelligible even without teaching them prior to the usage. Vibrotactile instructions turned out to be effective, comfortable, and preferred in compensating and augmenting visual instructions. The results can be utilized in designing touch-based information delivery, which would enable better concentration on primary functions such as observing the environment and improve safety while interacting with technology

Ears Outside the Car : Evaluation of Binaural Vehicular Sounds and Visual Animations as Driver's Blind Spot Indicators

Driving demands a significant amount of visual attention, which may impair drivers’ ability to detect and react to visual information such as blind spot warnings. This online pilot study (N = 242) evaluated the perception of binaural auditory cues and concurrent visual animations about overtaking vehicles designed to improve drivers’ situational awareness. The results showed that the spatial direction of the sounds was perceived in a high degree of precision, and they were rated as pleasant and natural sounding. Spatial congruency between the two information modalities was accurately perceived with visualizations rated as significantly more reliable blind spot indicators than sounds. The results suggest that spatial direction of binaural sounds can be consistently interpreted both alone and in tandem with visualizations in the given driving scenario. Binaural sounds could enhance drivers’ situational awareness in an eyes-free way to anticipate overtaking vehicles already before they trigger visual blind spot warnings.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Responses to visual, tactile and visual-tactile forward collision warnings while gaze on and off the road

acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Tactile Modulation of Emotional Speech Samples

Traditionally only speech communicates emotions via mobile phone. However, in daily communication the sense of touch mediates emotional information during conversation. The present aim was to study if tactile stimulation affects emotional ratings of speech when measured with scales of pleasantness, arousal, approachability, and dominance. In the Experiment 1 participants rated speech-only and speech-tactile stimuli. The tactile signal mimicked the amplitude changes of the speech. In the Experiment 2 the aim was to study whether the way the tactile signal was produced affected the ratings. The tactile signal either mimicked the amplitude changes of the speech sample in question, or the amplitude changes of another speech sample. Also, concurrent static vibration was included. The results showed that the speech-tactile stimuli were rated as more arousing and dominant than the speech-only stimuli. The speech-only stimuli were rated as more approachable than the speech-tactile stimuli, but only in the Experiment 1. Variations in tactile stimulation also affected the ratings. When the tactile stimulation was static vibration the speech-tactile stimuli were rated as more arousing than when the concurrent tactile stimulation was mimicking speech samples. The results suggest that tactile stimulation offers new ways of modulating and enriching the interpretation of speech