Tactile Feedback in Motion: Linking Vibration Characteristics with Kinematic Response

Most technology engages our eyes and ears, rarely our sense of touch. When a phone vibrates or a steering wheel buzzes, the goal is to alert us, not to guide us. Yet in daily life, touch guides our actions. Turning off an alarm in the dark, for example, relies on tactile feedback to find the snooze button. Despite this, most haptic systems remain limited to simple “on-off” vibrations. To move beyond this, host supervisors, Dr. Massi and Chatelet, leverage mechanical engineering to refine haptic feedback using friction-induced vibrations (FIVs). In this project, I will be combining markerless motion capture, accelerometer, and forceplate data to build vibration templates that help users sense movement direction through touch. Building on Dr Massi and Chatelet’s work on vibration feedback templates for rough and smooth surfaces, this project will create direction-aware vibration templates that help users sense both texture and movement direction. Such a tool could strengthen applications in XR/AR interfaces, teleoperation, and driving assistance- where realistic tactile feedback improves control. Additionally, it strengthens my home supervisor, Dr Manson’s, research on motor learning by exploring how tactile cues influence movement. Ultimately, it leads the way to closed-loop responsive haptic systems, that feel natural and lifelike.

Faculty Supervisor:

Gerome Manson

Student:

Partner:

Sapienza Università di Roma

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Information and Communications Technology (ICT); Health and Related Sciences and Technology; Artificial Intelligence

University:

Queen's University

Program: