Electro-tactile display with force feedback

Abstract

In this paper, we deal with an electro-tactile display for the fingertip (electric Braille). Although electro- cutaneous stimulation (electrical stimulation from the skin surface) has a long history, its application was limited to clinical experiments for two main reasons: the difficulty in producing a sensation with sufficient resolution, and the unstable relationship between electrical current and the perceived sensation. We propose here two methods to solve these problems. One is to use anodic current stimulation to sharpen the elicited sensation. The other is to control current with finger pressure in order to regulate the sensation naturally.