Human Haptic Perception Basics and Applications

Active touch perception – also known as haptic perception – is of primary importance for the planning, direction and execution of everyday actions. This most complex of human sensory systems is gaining ever more importance for various scientific disciplines as well as practical industrial applications.

In this book an international team of 80 authors presents a comprehensive collection of writings on both aspects of research on human haptic perception.

After a theoretical and historical introduction, the chapters are dedicated to neurophysiological basics as well as the psychological, clinical and neuropsychological aspects of haptic perception. Results of studies into human haptic perception in the fields of virtual haptics and robotics are also included. In the final section, contributions from the applied and industrial sectors illustrate the practical uses of knowledge about the human sense of touch.

This easily accessible textbook gives not only students, scientists and those with prior knowledge, but also interested laypersons insights into a fascinating area of study that is constantly discovering new challenges and presenting innovative solutions.

Haptic perception: an historical approach.-German pioneers of research into human haptic perception.-British pioneers of research into human haptic perception.-Early psychological studies on touch in France.-Haptics in the United States before 1940.-Anatomy of receptors.-Physiological mechanisms of the receptor system.-Neural basis of haptic perception.-The neural bases of haptic working memory.-Neuronal plasticity of the haptic system.-Haptic perception in the human fetus.-Haptic behavior in social interaction.-Learning effects in haptic perception.-Implicit and explicit memory effects in haptic perception.-Attention in sense of touch.-Haptic object identification.-Haptic perceptual illusions.-Haptic perception in interaction with other senses.-Haptically evoked activation of visual cortex.-Haptic perception and synaesthesia.-Haptic perception in sexuality.-Haptic perception in space travel.-Phantom sensations.-The neuroscience and phenomenology of sensory loss.-Focal dystonia: diagnostic, therapy, rehabilitation.-Self-injurious behavior.-Haptic perception in infancy and first acquisition of object words: developmental and clinical approach.-Haptic perception in anorexia nervosa.-History of haptic interfaces.-Principles of haptic perception in virtual environments.-Haptic shape cues, invariants, priors, and interface design.-Design guidelines for generating force feedback on fingertips using haptic interfaces.-Haptic rendering and control.-Haptic perception in human robotic systems.-Haptic design of vehicle interiors at AUDI.-Visual-haptic interfaces in car design at BMW.-Haptics research at Daimler AG.-Haptic design of handles.-Vestibular sensory substitution using tongue electrotactile display.-The blind get a taste of vision.-Tactile ground surface indicators in public places.-Haptic walker – haptic foot device for gait rehabilitation.-Haptic sensing of virtual textiles.-Haptic discrimination of paper.-Haptic banknote design.-Get touched – bodycare as adesign of media for self-perception.-