Cutaneous mechanoreceptor simulator

This paper describes the design and implementation of a software system, which is capable of simulating action potentials frequency produced by four different types of cutaneous mechanoreceptors. For the production of action potentials, the system uses a mathematical model based on studies on the fields of neurophysiology and neuroscience. This model was validated by a comparison between simulator results versus experimental data found in a research work on neurophysiology. The obtained approximation error let us suppose that the simulator results encode the applied stimulus satisfactorily. The development of the presented tool is a first phase of a project that aims to develop a somatosensory system, particularly tactile and proprioceptive. In the last phase, the whole system would be implemented on a cognitive architecture for virtual avatars.