Tactual displays for sensory substitution and wearable computers

Abstract

A major challenge in building practical wearable computer systems is the development of output devices to display or transmit information to the human user. Much effort has been devoted to visual displays that are lightweight and have high resolution. Such efforts are warranted since visual displays are still the dominant output devices used by most computing systems. Auditory displays are now becoming the norm of multimedia systems in addition to visual displays. Whereas vision is best suited for perceiving text and graphics, and audition for speech and music, the sense of touch is intimately involved in nonverbal communication. Whether it is a tap on the shoulder to get someone's attention or a firm handshake to convey trust, touch enables us to exchange information directly with people and the environment through physical contact. The skin is the largest organ of our body, yet only a small portion of it (i.e., the hands) is engaged in most human-computer interactions.