Sharp Tactile Line Presentation Using Edge Stimulation Method

We provide supplemental data to a vibrator array tactile display, as well as additional data for application of the edge stimulation (ES) method proposed in our previous study. By vibrating two surfaces in different phases and touching their boundary, a strong continuous line sensation, not on the vibrators themselves, but along the boundary, is obtained. This vibrotactile edge is suitable for presenting virtual lines, areas, and shapes on a rigid flat surface. We investigated the fundamental performance of the ES method through psychophysical experiments. The effects on the vibrotactile detection thresholds were investigated for three mechanical parameters, i.e., the vibratory frequency, the phase difference between the vibrations, and the gap distance between adjoining vibratory surfaces. Two-line discrimination thresholds for lines presented by the ES method were also determined. We found that the detection thresholds under the ES method was lower than 10 μm even at the low frequencies (lower than 50 Hz), which is significantly lower than that under simply touching to a single vibratory surface. A comparison of the perceived widths revealed that the ES method provides a more localized tactile image than a single-pin vibrator or a flat-top vibrator. A 3 × 3 vibrator array display was developed using the ES method based on the properties obtained from the experiments. Seven categories of display patterns were presented with the ES array display and the participants' responses matched at 95 percent.