A novel tactile feedback system with on-line texture decoding and direct-texture-feedback

Tactile perception on our fingers is a key sensory feedback that enables us to perceive and explore our world using our hands as probes, and is essential for efficient gripping and manipulation of objects. A tactile feedback system can therefore greatly improve the quality of life of individuals with partial or complete sensory loss like during stroke, or with artificial limbs after an amputation. However, most existing tactile texture feedback technologies suffer from two constraints. First, texture decoding and texture feedback have been traditionally examined separately and not as parts of the same problem, and second, texture information has been popularly fed back using sensory modality other than tactile itself. In this study, we propose a prototype on-line direct-texture decoding and feedback system in which the texture touched by a user is decoded using an accelerometer attached to the finger. The feedback is realized by rubbing the user's skin instantaneously with the actual material that, and at the speed at which, the user swipes. The efficacy of the proposed system was tested in two user experiments with five test materials. The results and the corresponding hints for future improvements are discussed.