Electrostatic Tactile Display Using Friction Control

Abstract

A new electrostatic tactile display consisting of parallel electrodes and thin film slider is proposed. The tactile display can present tactile sensations corresponding to surface roughness textures. By exploring the surface of the electrodes with the slider film, subjects can receive distributed shearing force on their fingertip, which results in tactile sensation. The experimental results show that the display can simulate fine surface textures that have regular asperities arranged with intervals of several hundreds of microns. We also report visual-tactile integrated display using transparent electrostatic tactile display. In the integrated display, tactile sensations are presented in synchronization with visual information shown on LCD visual display. Subjects can directly scan the image on the LCD and can feel it on their fingertips.