New discoveries in taction and their implications for tactile communication

Abstract

The implementation of tactile aids for the deaf and blind has progressed largely through the development of new technologies and strategies adapted to adequately and efficiently activate previously understood tactile mechanisms and processes. In the past decade, however, important new discoveries have been made relating to the basic mechanisms of taction such as the effects of aging and disease, submodality interactions, skin mechanics, and learning and cortical plasticity. These advances in our knowledge will impact heavily on future developments and applications of tactile aids. Several of these new discoveries will be described in the context of basic tactile mechanisms and in their implications for significant improvements in the effectiveness of aids for tactile communication. [Work supported by NIH.]