2013 Volume 12 Issue 2 Pages 209-214
In addition to the visual and auditory modalities, future media communication is expected to provide information through the tactile modality. To achieve effective tactile media in daily life settings, it is important to study its representation from the aspects of human cognition and emotion. This study experimentally investigated the effects of visual representation on evaluations of tactile information. We conducted an experiment in which subjects were asked to evaluate the appropriateness of tactile information of foods presented on a monitor after touching them using PHANTOM Omni, a haptical device. Textures (photos or paintings) of the foods and the intensity of force feedback were controlled. The results did not clearly confirm the influences of the visual representation on evaluation of the force feedback, even though it indicated the possibility that force feedback can be more clearly distinguished when the stimuli are represented by paintings rather than by photos.
