A Fuzzy Rule-Based Haptic Perception Model for Automotive Vibrotactile Display

Abstract

Currently, tactile surfaces implemented in automobiles are passive, i.e., feedbackless, thus forcing the user to visually check the device. To improve drivers' interaction, surface vibrations can be used to deliver feedback to the finger when touched, and an associated perception model is required. Hence, this paper introduces a fuzzy model for the comfort degree of vibrotactile signals. System input variables are chosen from the physical characteristics of the signals, and are validated on a dissimilarity judgment task. The system achieves an error of 9% and correctly classifies 17 out of 18 signals within a reasonable interval. A graphical user interface to interact with the system is also presented. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.