Contact Geometry and Visual Factors for Vibrotactile-Grid Location Cues

Visual and haptic factors can affect a user’s interpretation of vibrotactile cues communicating location of objects in a real or virtual environment. Identifying and understanding relevant factors will lead to better device and interface design, for example, through procedures that adjust for systematic error or per-user differences. We considered direct effects of hand-tactor contact geometry and a possible cross-modal effect of the visual interface. Our experiment examined contact geometry on a single row of tactors and presence of a visual border on a graphical region that mapped to the tactor array. We measured the relationship between vibrotactile array stimulus coordinates and user responses. Contact geometry that emphasized a certain tactor increased tendency for subjects to mark near it. Effects of visual borders were noticeable but subtle, acting more as a modulating factor.