"Sense of Touch and its Rendering" presents a unique and interdisciplinary approach highlighting the field of haptic research from a neuropsychological as well as a technological point of view. This edited book is the outcome of the TOUCH-HapSys European research project and provides an important contribution towards a new generation of high-fidelity haptic display technologies. The book is structured in two parts: A. Fundamental Psychophysical and Neuropsychological Research and B. Technology and Applications. The two parts are not however separated, and the many connections and synergies between the two complementary domains of research are highlighted in the text. The eleven chapters discuss the recent advances in the study of human haptic (kinaesthetic, tactile, temperature) and multimodal (visual, auditory, haptic) perception mechanisms. Besides the theoretical advancement, the contributions survey the state-of-the-art in the field, report a number of practical applications to real systems, and discuss possible future developments.

Inhalt

I: Psychophysical and Neuropsychological Research.- Functional Exploration Studies of Supramodal Organization in the Human Extrastriate Cortex.- Brain Mechanisms of Haptic Perception.- The Role of Tactile Flow in Processing Dynamic Haptic Stimuli.- Human Haptic Perception and the Design of Haptic-Enhanced Virtual Environments.- II: Technology and Applications.- 2-DOF fMRI-Compatible Haptic Interface for Bimanual Motor Tasks with Grip/Load Force Measurement.- Electro-Active Polymer Actuators for Tactile Displays.- A Free-Hand Haptic Interface Based on Magnetorheological Fluids.- Multi-modal VR Systems.- Design of a Multilevel Haptic Display.- Design and Evaluation of Haptic Soft Tissue Interaction.- Bone Drilling Medical Training System.