The Image of Touch: Construction of Meaning and Task Performance in Virtual Environments

One of the central questions in sensory interaction is how an image of the environment is constructed. In this chapter we report results of a series of studies conducted in a telesurgery system, aimed at exploring the underpinning cognitive process of construction of meaning through haptic dynamic patterns. We use a double analysis, the first rooted in behavioral methodology and the second rooted in signal processing methodologies, to validate the existence of a haptic language, and apply the results to challenging contexts in which haptic cues are on a subliminal level, in order to identify if and what is the role of subliminal cues in a haptic perceptual primitive language. We show that although participants are not aware of subliminal cues, nevertheless both action and perception are affected, suggesting that meaning is extracted from subliminal haptic patterns. Conclusion suggests a unified framework of a haptic language mechanism for construction of mental models of the environment, rooted in the embodied cognition, and enactive theoretical framework.