Tactile displays: Guidance for their design and application

Objective: This article provides an overview of tactile displays. Its goal is to assist human factors practitioners in deciding when and how to employ the sense of touch for the purpose of information representation. The article also identifies important research needs in this area. Background: First attempts to utilize the sense of touch as a medium for communication date back to the late 1950s. For the next 35 years progress in this area was relatively slow, but recent years have seen a surge in the interest and development of tactile displays and the integration of tactile signals in multimodal interfaces. A thorough understanding of the properties of this sensory channel and its interaction with other modalities is needed to ensure the effective and robust use of tactile displays. Methods: First, an overview of vibrotactile perception is provided. Next, the design of tactile displays is discussed with respect to available technologies. The potential benefit of including tactile cues in multimodal interfaces is discussed. Finally, research needs in the area of tactile information presentation are highlighted. Results: This review provides human factors researchers and interface designers with the requisite knowledge for creating effective tactile interfaces. It describes both potential benefits and limitations of this approach to information presentation. Conclusion: The sense of touch represents a promising means of supporting communication and coordination in human-human and human-machine systems. Application: Tactile interfaces can support numerous functions, including spatial orientation and guidance, attention management, and sensory substitution, in a wide range of domains.