Elastic or Stiff? Light or Heavy? Pseudo-Haptic Photograph Interaction for Fabric Perception.

Online retail is still mostly limited to the visual channel despite haptic interface technology advances. One potential strategy for overcoming the lack of touch in online retail is using pseudo-haptics: illusory haptic sensations resulting from manipulating the visual feedback of mouse or touchscreen interactions. Previous research used computer-generated graphics for pseudo-haptic experiences, while online retailers rely heavily on accurate photos of their products. Therefore, our study proposes a novel approach to designing pseudo-haptics using interactive photograph series together with mouse cursor gain modulations, called Pseudo-Haptic Photograph Interaction (PHPI). Unlike prior approaches that rely on simulated or stylized imagery, PHPI introduces pseudo-haptic effects through real photographic sequences of fabric motion, bridging the gap between visual realism and interactive haptic simulation. We conducted user studies on the perception of stiffness and weight to validate our approach. In experiment 1, we investigated the relation between the perception of weight and stiffness and increased or decreased gain of mouse movement. The study reveals a strong relation between mouse gain and perception. To test whether this corresponded to pseudo-haptic sensations, we performed experiment 2, in which actual fabrics had to be matched with those displayed through PHPI. We found a correlation between the haptically perceived weight and stiffness of fabrics, and their digital surrogate mediated by visual cues, confirming the potential of PHPI for multimodal experiences in online retail and other photographic presentations.