Abstract
We are developing a multi-modal 2.5D display capable of stimulating tactile and force sensations to achieve a new human-friendly interface. In the present study, we extended the versatility of the operation in 2.5D space for object manipulation in 3D space. Although the surface rotation of the virtual tactile pad was limited around the z-axis in the previous display, the rotations around the x-axis and y-axis are managed by the centroid position of the operator's fingers in the new display. We conducted three series of evaluation experiments. In Experiment I, we confirmed that the centroid estimation was stable around the center of the display pad. In Experiment II, we revealed the proper proportional constant for the vertical movement of the virtual tactile pad. In Experiment III, subjects tried to compare the size of two virtual spheres to evaluate the 3D shape presentation capability of the present display. Since the sensation thresholds for each subject were low enough, we proved that operators could recognize a fine distinction of sphere radii generated by the proposed display.
