Design and Evaluation of a Prototype Tactile Scanner for Active Sensing of Proximal Objects

Tactile interfaces, that can convey information to humans via tactile feedback, are still relatively rare. In this study we present a prototype ‘tactile scanner’, that fixes onto a user’s arm, and using arrays of capacitive sensors and vibratory motors, provides users with a sense of the proximity of objects near their arm. Through two experiments, we show that the device enables users to detect not just the position of objects, but also estimate their shapes and orientations. Finally, in a third experiment, we compare the user accuracy with the tactile scanner and their accuracy with real touch.