A Cognitive Model of the Tactile Vibration Sense and Experiments on a Touch Simulation System

The tactile sensing and interaction technologies mimicking human skin and sensor mechanisms are a highly demanded research in both theories and applications. This paper presents the design of an experimental system for sensing the tactile vibration sensations by mimicking human skin. An experimental device for vibration and tactile perception is developed based on LabVIEW technologies, which can control the vibration intensity, time interval and sequence of five vibration sources. By specifying a set of psychophysical parameters on the device, a series of vibration and tactile experiments are carried out on fingers, arms, abdomen and other parts of the body. The tactile perceptions on vibration mechanisms have been tested by different vibration intensity, sequence, and interval. The experimental results have enabled applications in tactile perception and interaction interfaces towards a portable blind guide system.