Wearable Sensorimotor Enhancer for Fingertip Based on Stochastic Resonance Effect

This paper reports on the results of an experiment involving a wearable sensorimotor enhancer intended to improve tactile sensitivity in human fingertips. As briefly exposing tactile receptors to subsensory vibration is known to enhance tactile sensitivity thanks to a phenomenon called stochastic resonance in the somatosensory system, applying white-noise vibration to a fingertip is expected to improve the sense of touch and associated motor skills. Against such a background, a prototype of a wearable device called a sensorimotor enhancer is proposed here. The device is attached to the radial side of the fingertip and stimulates tactile receptors by applying vibration from a lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric stack actuator. This design keeps the palmar region free, thereby helping to maintain the wearer´s manipulative ability. Sensory and motor tests involving 11 human subjects were conducted to determine the efficacy of the device, and the results confirmed its usefulness.