Improving Wearable Haptics Through Measuring Vibrotactile Sensitivity

• O. Batuhan Erkat PhD

  SUNY College of Optometry

  Author

• Glenn Fernandes

  Northwestern University

  Author

• Timo Kunkel PhD

  Dolby Laboratories

  Author

• Andrea Fanelli PhD

  University of Washington

  Author

• Jake Zuena

  Dolby Laboratories

  Author

• Jaclyn Pytlarz

  Dolby Laboratories

  Author

Vibrotactile stimulation is becoming an increasingly integrated modality in multimedia experiences through wearable haptic devices in consumer products like smartwatches and VR controllers. Yet, their effectiveness is limited by our understanding of how users perceive vibrotactile feedback in real-world applications. Just as the advancements in haptic technology are crucial for improving fidelity, optimizing existing systems through psychophysics offers an alternative to enhance wearable implementations.

In this study, we explored perceptual variables associated with vibrotactile perception on participants’ dorsal forearms, a common location for wearable haptic applications. We conducted three user studies to map the forearm with varying stimulus parameters and locations; this included a pilot study to confirm the relationships between vibrotactile stimulus parameters and the subjective perceptual variables reported in a previous study. Then, we tested detection thresholds and localization accuracy at evenly spaced locations along the dorsal forearm. Our results showed that users’ vibrotactile detection sensitivity decreased along the dorsal forearm, from the wrist to the elbow. Thereafter, we investigated just-noticeable differences (JNDs). JNDs did not change significantly along the users’ forearms, but we found a subtle difference between the lower and upper forearm in detecting decreases versus increases in amplitude. Our study suggests that the fidelity of haptic applications can be enhanced by calibrating signals to perceptual limits to attain a higher level of perceptual resolution in wearable haptic systems.

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1. O. Batuhan Erkat PhD, SUNY College of Optometry

   Dr. Erkat is a postdoctoral researcher in Multisensory Integration in Visual Impairment Laboratory at SUNY College of Optometry. He received his PhD in Neuroscience from Rutgers University, where he investigated how supervised and unsupervised learning modify neuronal networks in the visual cortex.

2. Glenn Fernandes, Northwestern University

   Mr. Fernandes is a PhD candidate in Computer Science at Northwestern University. His research centers on privacy‑aware wearable AI systems and explainable ML for health behavior modeling, notably developing tools like HabitSense and PRIMO.

3. Timo Kunkel PhD, Dolby Laboratories

   Dr. Kunkel is Director of Image Technology & Standards at Dolby Laboratories. He holds a PhD in Color Science and specializes in HDR imaging, color perception, and display standards. His work has contributed to advances in perceptual image processing, display metrology, and consumer HDR in general.

4. Andrea Fanelli PhD, University of Washington

   Dr. Fanelli is a Principal Researcher in the Advanced Technology Group and Affiliate Professor in Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Washington. He holds a PhD in Bioengineering. He leads AI research in multimodal perception, wearable sensing, and multimedia generation.

5. Jake Zuena, Dolby Laboratories

   Mr. Zuena is an Applied Vision Science Engineer at Dolby Laboratories. He holds a BS in Motion Picture Science from Rochester Institute of Technology, where he also led the SMPTE student chapter. His research focuses on perceptual modeling for HDR and wide color gamut displays.

6. Jaclyn Pytlarz, Dolby Laboratories

   Ms. Pytlarz is a Senior Staff Researcher in the Applied Vision Science group at Dolby Laboratories. She holds an MS in Computational & Mathematical Engineering from Stanford University. She leads vision research on color mapping and display management for HDR and on wide color gamut displays.