Enhancement of human force perception by multi-point tactile stimulation

Perception of minute force through tactile feedback from a tool is an important aspect for humans to maintain dexterity during manipulation of embedded objects invisible to the naked eye, such as repairing tissues in minimally invasive surgery. Different pressure levels at finger contacts could be responsible factors concerning the perception of forces on a tool. In this paper, an experimental study was done to verify if pressure stimulation to the thumb and index fingers on a precision grip position could alter the perception of force. We requested participants to perform a psychophysical experiment by holding a grounded pen-type interface having a single degree of freedom which induces pressure sensation using air suction. Perceived force was observed to increase when pressure was applied increasingly. Experimental results suggested that vacuum pressure can be used as a complementary tactile stimulus for inducing force sensation. This study had confirmed that negative pressure stimulus can be used to augment force perception.