World in your hand: Investigating the underlying mechanism of thermal material recognition and its interaction with multisensory information

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23K24934
Project/Area Number (Other)	22H03679 (2022-2023)
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund (2024) Single-year Grants (2022-2023)
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 61060:Kansei informatics-related
Research Institution	Kyushu University
Principal Investigator	Ho HsinNi 九州大学, 芸術工学研究院, 准教授 (60466406)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	佐藤克成奈良女子大学, 工学系, 准教授 (00708381)
Project Period (FY)	2022-04-01 – 2027-03-31
Project Status	Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
Budget Amount *help	¥17,030,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,930,000) Fiscal Year 2026: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000) Fiscal Year 2025: ¥2,600,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥600,000) Fiscal Year 2024: ¥2,860,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥660,000) Fiscal Year 2023: ¥2,340,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥540,000) Fiscal Year 2022: ¥7,410,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,710,000)
Keywords	Haptics / Material recognition / Shitsukan perception / Shitsukan recognition / Thermal perception / Material perception / Material percpetion / Temeprature
Outline of Research at the Start	Some materials feel colder to the touch than others, and this thermal information is useful for material recognition. Here we investigate its psychological process, including thermal cues for recognition, mental representation of materials, and multisensory influence. The findings will contribute to touch sharing utilizing digital touch technology, design practice emphasizing tactile quality and social welfare for the blind.
Outline of Annual Research Achievements	In FY2022, we successfully established the necessary research environments and acquired the required research facilities. We carried out human experiments on material recognition based on thermal cues and the integration between thermal and tactile cues. We found a thermophysical property that can predict the subjective material judgement and identify an integration rule for thermal and tactile cues.We have presented these findings in domestic meetings. Our findings have the potential to inform the engineering design of haptic technologies for reproducing material characteristics, ultimately enhancing user experiences.
Current Status of Research Progress	Current Status of Research Progress 1: Research has progressed more than it was originally planned. Reason In the initial plan, the first year was designated for hardware development, with human experiments scheduled to commence in the second year. Our progress has exceeded expectations, as we not only established the essential research environments but also conducted human experiments and presentated our results in research meetings.
Strategy for Future Research Activity	In FY2023, we will analyze FY2022 data and advancing our understanding of hand-material interactions for haptic technology. We plan to present key findings at an international conference, fostering knowledge exchange within the scientific community. Our thermal display development will continue, aiming to accurately replicate skin temperature changes during hand-material interactions, refining existing technology, and exploring innovative methods to enhance realism and user experience. Moreover, we will establish a comprehensive material database by measuring the physical properties of material samples, such as thermal effusivity and surface roughness. These samples will inform future experiments and support our research objectives in haptic technologies and their applications.