Empirical studies for effective near-field haptics in virtual environments

This paper presents results from two experiments into the use of vibrotactile cues for near-field haptics in virtual environments. In one experiment, subjects were tested on their ability to identify the location of a one-second vibrotactile stimulus presented to a single tactor of a 3-by-3 array on their back. We recorded an 84% correct identification rate. In a second experiment, subjects were asked to match the intensity of a vibrotactile stimulus presented at one location with the intensity at another location. We found that subjects could match the intensities to within 7Hz if the reference and adjustable stimuli were presented at the same location, but only to within 18Hz otherwise.