Study of the interaction between human fingerpad and isotropic rough surfaces for tactile stimulators improvement
Abstract
The study presented herein makes a contribution to the development of tactile stimulators for the perception of rough surfaces. To this end, in vivo measurements of friction forces and friction induced vibrations (measured with a light accelerometer located on the finger nail) stemming from the rubbing of 12 volunteers’ forefinger on 10 isotropic rough surfaces were carried out. Tested surfaces had Ra ranging from 3.3 to 42.6 μm and mean spatial period between asperities (SP) ranging from 20.9 to 141.7 μm. Friction tests were performed using a dedicated apparatus, and a 0.7 N mean normal load was applied and controlled by volunteers themselves. In parallel, topography and hydration of each volunteers’ fingerprints have been characterized. In addition, psychophysical methods were employed in order to evaluate the subjective perception of roughness for each volunteer and surface.
Measurements