“I Can Feel It Coming in the Hairs Tonight”: Characterising Mid-Air Haptics on the Hairy Parts of the Skin

Ultrasound mid-air haptics has received much attention from both academic and industrial groups, however, such investigations have almost exclusively focused on the tactile stimulation of glabrous (hairless) skin of our hands. Meanwhile, the non-glabrous (hairy) part of the skin covers the largest area of our body, yet remains largely untouched and unexplored by this haptic technology. 1) We study acoustic streaming and the 2) acoustic radiation force associated with a mid-air haptic stimulus. 3) We characterise the perceived strength, temperature, and definition of the stimulus through a user study. 4) Finally, in a second user study we explore the possibility of conveying affective (pleasant) touch. These objective and subjective experiments provide the first deep understanding of how mid-air haptics can affect tactile perception through stimulating the hairy skin. To that end, we discuss how researchers and haptic designers can leverage mid-air haptic technology to vary the perceived touch intensity, temperature, and deliver affective touch.