In this study, we developed vibrotactile display methods that can assist designers in product design. In order to achieve realistic sensations required for such designing purposes, we used real materials such as cloth, paper, wood, and leather and applied vibrotactile stimuli to modify the roughness sensations of these materials. This approach allowed us to present textures of various virtual materials with a strong sense of reality. We verified that our proposed methods could selectively modify the fine and macro-roughness sensations of real materials. The methods are expected to aid product designers in deciding tactile sensations suitable for their products.
A vibrotactile texture display produces virtual textures by applying vibratory stimuli to finger pads. In this study, we developed a technique to alter such textures based on certain specified materials. For example, the technique allows us to alter vibrotactile textures using terms such as "wood-," "cotton-," or "paper-like" which are familiar to end users of displays. The altered textures feel more similar to these specified materials. We realized this technique by constructing a material space, in which the materials are located based on the features of their vibrotactile spectra. The vibrotactile textures were then modified in this space. Our experimental results show that the technique can be used to alter a virtual wood texture to feel like cloth.
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