A basic study on the tactile display for tele-presence

Tactile informtion processing was studied based on psychophysical experiments in order to design the tactile display for tele-existence robots or virtual reality. The characteristics of the tactile sense were obtained when strain forces with various velocities and directions were applied horizontally on a fingertip surface. The absolute thresholds of the contactor displacement were measured as functions of the contactor temperature, roughness and viscosity. From the experimental results, it was found that the minimum threshold was 32 degrees centigrade. The display method of the tactile information was discussed from the viewpoint of the physical parameters which determine the sensation of the material quality.<
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