Vibrotactile Feedback System Based on Multiple Properties Modulation

In recent years, cross-modal retrieval and tactile rendering techniques have become a research hotspot in the virtual reality field due to their ability to provide more realistic sensations to humans. This paper presents a vibrotactile feedback system based on multiple feature modulation, which converts from texture images to tactile stimulation. We focus on tactile texture perception and propose a method to unite modulate the amplitude of raw tactile vibrations based on the physical properties of hardness and roughness to make differential modulation for different kinds of textures, and then we get driving signals that work well for the vibrotactile feedback device eventually. We designed an image-based cross-modal retrieval framework and a vibrotactile feedback device, which together with the data modulation part constitute the system that enables the modulated drive signals to output realistic tactile feedback consistent with human perception in the case of input texture images. The results of the psychophysical experiment shown that the experimenter's recognition of texture increased from 87.5% to 93.3% comparing the virtual texture stimuli given by the vibrotactile feedback system before and after modulation.