@article{05c6a6952ea142f49665fe8dd026136f,
title = "Psychophysical evaluation of haptic perception under augmentation by a handheld device",
abstract = "Objective: This study investigated the effectiveness of force augmentation in haptic perception tasks. Background: Considerable engineering effort has been devoted to developing force augmented reality (AR) systems to assist users in delicate procedures like microsurgery. In contrast, far less has been done to characterize the behavioral outcomes of these systems, and no research has systematically examined the impact of sensory and perceptual processes on force augmentation effectiveness. Method: Using a handheld force magnifier as an exemplar haptic AR, we conducted three experiments to characterize its utility in the perception of force and stiffness. Experiments 1 and 2 measured, respectively, the users ability to detect and differentiate weak force (<0.5 N) with or without the assistance of the device and compared it to direct perception. Experiment 3 examined the perception of stiffness through the force augmentation. Results: The users ability to detect and differentiate small forces was significantly improved by augmentation at both threshold and suprathreshold levels. The augmentation also enhanced stiffness perception. However, although perception of augmented forces matches that of the physical equivalent for weak forces, it falls off with increasing intensity. Conclusion: The loss in the effectiveness reflects the nature of sensory and perceptual processing. Such perceptual limitations should be taken into consideration in the design and development of haptic AR systems to maximize utility. Application: The findings provide useful information for building effective haptic AR systems, particularly for use in microsurgery.",
keywords = "augmented reality, force perception, haptic interfaces, perceptual effectiveness, stiffness perception",
author = "Bing Wu and Roberta Klatzky and Randy Lee and Vikas Shivaprabhu and John Galeotti and Mel Siegel and Schuman, {Joel S.} and Ralph Hollis and George Stetten",
note = "Funding Information: Force augmentation is effectively transferred to haptic perceptual judgments, not only of force but also of other perceptual attributes such as stiffness. The perceptual effectiveness of force augmentation gradually declines with stimulus intensity in comparison to a control. Factors such as skin impedance and the device{\textquoteright}s geometric and material attributes should be considered in the design of force AR systems to maximize user experience. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants 1R01EY021641 and 5R00EB008710 and by a grant from the Coulter Foundation. Bing Wu received a PhD in experimental psychology from University of Louisville. He is an assistant professor in Arizona State University{\textquoteright}s College of Technology & Innovation. His research interests are in spatial perception/cognition, the visual and haptic control of action, and human factors issues in real, teleoperated, or simulated medical operations. Roberta Klatzky received a PhD in psychology from Stanford University. She is a professor of psychology and human computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research interests are in human perception and cognition, with special emphasis on spatial cognition and haptic perception. Randy Lee received an MS in biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests include medical device design, surgical engineering, and psychophysics. Vikas Shivaprabhu received an MS in electrical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests include medical device design and biomedical image analysis. John Galeotti received a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a systems scientist in robotics and an adjunct assistant professor in biomedical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests are in both biomedical optics and biomedical image analysis and visualization, especially for intraoperative guidance. Mel Siegel received a PhD in physics from the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a faculty member in robotics and an affiliated faculty member in human computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. His research interests are in sensing, sensors, perception, and display systems in robotics contexts. Joel S. Schuman received an MD from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is professor and chairman of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the director of UPMC Eye Center. His research interests include imaging of the eye, laser-tissue interactions, aqueous outflow, and clinical pharmacology. Ralph Hollis received a PhD in physics from the University of Colorado. He is research professor of robotics and electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and founding director of the Microdynamic Systems Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University, where his research centers on haptics, agile manufacturing, and dynamically stable mobile robots. George Stetten received an MD from SUNY Syracuse and a PhD in biomedical engineering from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is professor of bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh and research professor at the CMU Robotics Institute. He is also the director of the Visualization and Image Analysis Laboratory and the Music Engineering Laboratory. His research is in image guided intervention, haptics, and image analysis. ",
year = "2015",
month = may,
day = "23",
doi = "10.1177/0018720814551414",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "57",
pages = "523--537",
journal = "Human Factors",
issn = "0018-7208",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Inc.",
number = "3",
}