Recognition of virtual shape using visual and tactual sense under optical illusion

In addition to visual display, tactual-feedback system will play an important role in interactive computer interface design. Though the human visual system is generally more sensitive than the tactual one, the visual system is more subject to optical illusions. In this study, we have conducted experiments to obtain visual and/or haptical sensitivity of recognition of virtual figure features, such as the deformation of a circle and the bending of a line, under optical illusion. It was found that the figure which the subject judges to be a true circle or a straight line is closer to the true figure, when he/she used haptic exploration than by visual alone. However, the probable error by haptics is larger than that by vision alone. Therefore, if multi-modal sensation are used in the graphical interface, it is important to consider such phenomena. Because the total recognition quality may become worse in multimodal sensation than in either single one under optical illusion