Abstract
Skin sensation has been employed to transmit pictorial information for the visually impaired, because it is spatially extended over the entire human body surface. Particular properties of the skin sensation have been revealed partially so far. In this study, pattern recognition through vision and skin sensation elicited by electrical stimulation has been investigated by means of raster scanning pattern presentation. Recognition rates for the changes of scanning speed were measured to compare pattern perception of the skin sensation with that of the vision.
In vision, higher recognition rates were obtained for fast scanning, which, however, decreased as scanning speed became lower. On the other hand, recognition rates of the skin sensation were much lower for fast scanning, and approximately equal to those of vision for slow scanning speed. Slow scanning improved spatial pattern perception through the skin sensation by electrical stimulation, but it is difficult to improve recognition rates for dot matrix alphanumerics through the skin sensation to over 80%.
