Towards a Vibrotactile Perceptual Model Accounting for Spatial Masking

Research output: Contribution to book/Conference proceedings/Anthology/Report › Conference contribution › Contributed › peer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Efficient vibrotactile coding should rely on perceptual models to reduce perceived quality loss caused by signal compression. So far, single-point models have been proposed that take frequency masking into account, leaving spatial masking between multiple points of interaction underexplored. This paper investigates spatial masking effects in vibrotactile perception and extends a frequency-masking psychohaptic model by incorporating a spatial attenuation factor. A psychophysical experiment is conducted that measures masking across finger locations and frequencies, revealing that actuator positions significantly influence masking strength, while frequency dependence follows trends observed in same-site masking. No interaction between position and frequency was observed. Based on these findings, we derived a new multi-point spatial psychohaptic model. A pilot study is conducted to validate the model, demonstrating its ability to achieve stronger signal compression before perceptual degradation becomes noticeable. The results highlight the potential of spatial masking models for optimizing multi-point vibrotactile codecs. Future work will investigate distance-dependent attenuation, broader spatial configurations, and applications beyond the tested scenarios.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHaptics: Understanding Touch; Technology and Systems; Applications and Interaction
EditorsClaudio Pacchierotti, Karon E. MacLean, Jan B.F. van Erp
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media B.V.
Pages443-462
Number of pages20
ISBN (electronic)978-3-032-32350-7
ISBN (print)978-3-032-32349-1
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - Jul 2026
Peer-reviewedYes

Publication series

SeriesLecture Notes in Computer Science
Volume16594 LNCS
ISSN0302-9743

Conference

Title15th International Conference on Human Haptic Sensing and Touch Enabled Computer Applications
Abbreviated titleEuroHaptics 2026
Conference number15
Duration6 - 9 July 2026
Website
LocationUniversità degli Studi di Siena
CitySiena
CountryItaly

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0001-6870-5224/work/225492180

Keywords

Keywords

  • Signal compression, Spatial masking, Vibrotactile