Vibratory tactile display of image-based textures

Virtual worlds must integrate tactile and force sensations to create a sense of presence. Our tactile display conveys the textural sensation of object surfaces to a user's fingertip. This vibratory tactile display contains a contact pin array that transmits vibrations to the human skin. This type of device has been investigated as a reading aid for the blind since the 1960s. A device called the Optacon, developed by J.G. Linvill and J.C. Bliss (1966) was intended for use by a visually impaired person. Therefore, methods for representing texture have not been discussed extensively for that device. We present techniques for virtually replicating surface texture sensations through a vibratory tactile display, using image data of objects. M. Minsky et al. (1990) demonstrated a method for presenting surface textures by force display, including-if needed-visual images of textures. Their system generated the images from geometrical shapes of depth maps. In contrast, we use pictures of real object surfaces to provide the distribution data for tactile stimulus.