NTT Communication Science Laboratories, in collaboration with the University of Electro-Communications, has discovered an illusion in which the speed of movement felt by the hand changes.
This discovery was made possible only by utilizing a uniquely constructed tactile interface (tactile presentation device) for experiments that can present information to the skin over a wide area and at a high density.
To convey the virtual movement of an object on the skin to a person, the general method is to place tactile stimuli on the skin in discrete locations and stimulate these points in sequence to express the movement of the skin surface.
Until now, it has been thought that the spatial interval between these discrete points corresponds to the resolution of the information presentation and does not affect the perceived speed of movement. However, contrary to this idea, the discovery of an illusion in which movement is perceived as slower when the spatial interval is large is the result of this study.
The discovery of this illusion is said to contribute to the realization of rich tactile experiences in XR spaces, such as the expression of texture in VR and dexterous manipulation of objects.
In the future, research will also be conducted on other basic sensory and perceptual functions (such as shape perception) that support tactile experiences.

※Translating Japanese articles into English with AI