Tactile Sensation Display with Electrotactile Interface

This paper presents an Electrotactile Display System (ETCS). One of the most important human sensory systems for human computer interaction is the sense of touch, which can be displayed to human through tactile output devices. To realize the sense of touch, electrotactile display produces controlled, localized touch sensation on the skin by passing small electric current. In electrotactile stimulation, the mechanoreceptors in the skin may be stimulated individually in order to display the sense of vibration, touch, itch, tingle, pressure etc. on the finger, palm, arm or any suitable location of the body by using appropriate electrodes and waveforms. We developed an ETCS and investigated effectiveness of the proposed system in terms of the perception of roughness of a surface by stimulating the palmar side of hand with different waveforms and the perception of direction and location information through forearm. Positive and negative pulse trains were tested with different current intensities and electrode switching times on the forearm or finger of the user with an electrode-embedded armband in order to investigate how subjects recognize displayed patterns and directions of stimulation.