A novel wearable vibro-tactile haptic device

This paper describes a wearable haptic technology able to produce complex haptic sensations through vibro-mechanical stimulation of the human skin. The technology can be implemented in cost effective devices, can be embedded in small geometries, and is able to provide elaborated stimulation patterns by independently modulating the amplitude and frequency of the mechanical vibro-stimulation. In order to evaluate its capacity to encode information haptically, we tested the device under stress conditions demonstrating the proof-of-principle, showing its strength and limitation. To better describe its capacity to generate vibro-stimuli, a direct comparison with a regular vibration motor has been done.