Evaluating the Efficacy of Friction Modulation for Guidance for Blind Individuals

The emergence of tactile technologies has paved the way for addressing various challenges. Tactile sensing is especially vital for the blind and visually impaired. This study investigates how tactile feedback can enhance mobility and independence among individuals in this community. In today’s touchscreen-dominated world, accessibility remains a...

Lateral Force on Fingertips by Traveling Waves in a Flat Structure Based on the Ultraloop

Creating a lateral force on a finger touching a touch- screen can provide the sensation of a bump in the surface, and generate a pulling sensation, which could enhance the experience of operating a touchscreen. The Ultraloop, a device built to generate such a lateral force on a finger in contact, works by producing flexural traveling waves that...

Rapid change of friction causes the illusion of touching a receding surface

Shortly after touching an object, humans can tactually gauge the frictional resistance of a surface. The knowledge of surface friction is paramount to tactile perception and the motor control of grasp. While potent correlations between friction and participants' perceptual response have been found, the causal link between the friction of the...

Pseudo Potential Fields on Surface-Haptic Touchscreens using Friction Modulation

It is impossible to imagine modern day interaction with technology without the use of touchscreens. It is a go-to interface to use for many applications, because of the high stimuli-response compatibility and adaptability of the graphical user interface. But the haptic feedback one would have with physical buttons and dials, is lost with the use...

The Haptic Fidelity Framework: A Qualitative Overview and Categorization of Cutaneous-based Haptic Technologies Through Fidelity

After decades of research and development, haptic feedback is increasingly appearing in consumer products. While the prevalence of haptic feedback is increasing, the integration rarely offers increased fidelity to previous generations. We argue this is because of the tremendous complexity of successful haptic design engineering, but...

Estimation of the modulation of friction from the mechanical impedance variations

Ultrasonic surface-haptic touchscreens produce compelling tactile sensations directly on the users' fingertips. The tactile sensations stem from the modulation of friction produced by acoustic radiation pressure, which reduces the contact between the skin and the glass plate. During this process, some of the vibrations are partly absorbed by...