Artificial tactile feel display using soft gel actuators

It is difficult for the conventional tactile displays to express fine touch as a surface of cloth. A mechanical device appropriate for minute distributed stimuli on human skin does not exist. This paper proposes a ciliary device using soft high polymer gel actuators (ICPF) as a solution to this problem. This new device can generate various distributed stimuli to human sense receptors. It was experimentally confirmed that, combinations of vibratory stimuli of high frequency and low frequency produced complex tactile feels. Comparison of the artificial tactile feels and cloth material samples demonstrated that this device developed could display subtle distinction in the touch of cloth.