Development and Application of an Interface for Controlling Secretion by Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21H03477
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 61020:Human interface and interaction-related
• Research Institution: Gunma University (2022-2023); The University of Tokyo (2021)
• Principal Investigator: Aoyama Kazuma 群馬大学, 情報学部, 准教授 (60783686)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 雨宮 智浩 東京大学, 情報基盤センター, 教授 (70396175)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: バーチャルリアリティ / ヒューマンコンピュータインタラクション / 神経刺激

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we developed a novel method of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation that modulates the serous secretion (e.g. saliva, tears, nasal discharge, and sweat), and developed an application that embeds this method as an applied system to alter the experience of virtual reality and other contents.
Through user studies and simulations, we were able to construct a method of transcutaneous electrical stimulation that can promote saliva and tear secretion, and developed hardware that can be applied during meals and a system that can synchronously apply transcutaneous electrical stimulation while reading out a story. We also constructed stimuli that form the lateralization of nasal chemosensation and the spatial distribution of oral gustatory sensation, and tried to develop a new method that can control the location of secretion.

Free Research Field

バーチャルリアリティ

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果の学術的な意義は，これまでインタフェース研究の対象となっていなかった，人の漿液分泌をデジタル技術によって調節するインタフェースの研究開発に挑んだことである．また，この研究は様々な体験を創出するVR等の技術において，人の体験に寄与する漿液分泌をデジタルに制御することで，映画やゲーム，食事などのコンテンツの魅力をさらに引き上げうる新たな手法を創出し，そのプロトタイプシステムを構築したところに社会的意義がある．