Prediction of Affective Feeling of Tactile Texture Based on Measurement of Fingertip Deformation

In this study, we evaluated the effects of different object parameters on fingertip deformation by examining the contact area deformation that occurs when a finger is pushed against a flat plate with a film. An experiment was conducted under various object parameters and forced displacements. First, the eccentricity, which is an index of the contact area deformation of a fingertip, was measured for different objects. As a result, it was confirmed that the eccentricity depends on the object characteristics. Next, the results of the tactile texture evaluation were modeled through a multiple regression analysis using the contact area deformation and object parameters. The relationship between the eccentricity and tactile texture evaluation was then investigated using the coefficients of determination in a multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the eccentricity can be used to evaluate a property differently from the material parameter with respect to the expression of feeling. A prediction of the tactile texture items was conducted using the eccentricity and object parameters. It was shown that it is possible to estimate the sensitivity with a correlation coefficient of 0.8 or more for smooth, granular, sticky, dry, and slippery textures.