Haptic Perceptual Instruments

触觉神经系统允许一个人通过与身体的接触来了解附近的物体和表面。一个人不需要看一个物体，就可以通过拿着它和挥舞它来获得它的一些属性的印象。这项研究将触觉子系统概念化为一种测量仪器，它巧妙地利用了规律，例如物体在不同方向上旋转的恒定阻力模式。实验将检验物体长度、组件的角分离、方向和形状的触觉感知。他们会在手里拿着一两个物体的情况下这样做。实验中的人们将通过调整（可见的）可移动表面或指针来量化感知到的属性。实验将试图识别与手持物体的感知几何属性相关的机械变量，并表明为了感知特定属性，必须以一种明确而复杂的方式进行挥舞。识别这些与手相关的能力及其物理基础将有助于设计感觉和运动假肢、机械肢体和智能工具。了解触觉知觉工具的形态和功能，将促进特殊目的认知机制理论的发展。

The haptic nervous system allows one to know about nearby objects and surfaces by means of contact with the body. Without having to look at an object, a person can get an impression of some of its properties by holding it and wielding it. This research conceptualizes the haptic subsystem in wielding as a measurement instrument which capitalizes smartly on lawful regularities, such as the constant pattern of the resistances of an object to rotations in different directions. The experiments will examine the haptic perception of object length, angular separation of components, orientations, and shape. They will do so for conditions where one object or two are held in the hand. People in the experiments will respond by adjusting (visible) movable surfaces or pointers to quantify the perceived properties. The experiments will attempt to identify the mechanical variables that relate uniquely to the perceived geometric properties of the hand-held objects, and to show that wielding must be done in a definite though complex way in order for a particular property to be perceived. Identifying these hand-related capabilities and their physical basis will help the design of sensory and motor prostheses, robotic limbs, and clever tools. Understanding the form and function of haptic perceptual instruments will advance the theory of special purposes cognitive mechanisms.