HCC: Small: Thermal Displays in Human Computer Interactions

迄今为止，大多数与探索使用皮肤进行人机通信有关的研究都集中在触觉显示器上，触觉显示器代表了在视觉和听觉系统过载的情况下增强信息显示的有希望的竞技场。 但除了触觉传感器，皮肤还容纳热感受器，对皮肤温度的变化做出反应，并传达有关温度变化幅度和速度的信息。 热反馈可能潜在地用作通信的通道或在多感觉显示器中增强触觉和视觉反馈。 PI在本研究中的目标是探索热反馈可用作沟通媒介的领域，并确定对用户最有效的输入类型，长期目标是发现热反馈增强人类表现的条件，反映在更有效的信息处理或更有效地响应外部事件的能力。 重点是在多感官环境的背景下使用热界面来显示抽象信息，而不是在虚拟环境中或控制遥控机器人时促进对象识别。 人类的热感觉系统提出了独特的挑战，当被认为是一种通信介质，由于其空间和时间特性，不同于其他的感觉系统。 虽然这限制了可以呈现给用户的提示的类型，但它也开辟了创建新形式的反馈的可能性，这些反馈凭借其新奇可能对用户非常有吸引力。 这项工作将分为三个重点：确定与用于与计算机互动的输入装置连接的热显示器的最佳配置和操作特性;评估使用热刺激来表示抽象信息的可行性，并评价使用热线索来呈现新的感官体验，如潮湿或潮湿错觉的可行性;并研究当热反馈与触觉和视觉提示同时呈现时，多感官显示器中的信息表示是否得到增强。很少有关于使用热显示器来呈现抽象信息的可行性的研究，因此，这项工作有可能为热界面开辟一个全新的应用领域。 显示器中的热线索的可用性应增加设计者的能力，以选择模态和分配功能和类型的信息的通道，是最适合他们的介绍。 项目成果还将有助于为那些有视觉、听觉或前庭障碍的人开发感觉替代系统;关于利用触觉来弥补其他感觉的缺陷已经进行了大量的研究，在这种显示器上增加热反馈为交流提供了一个额外的维度，有可能提高交流的可靠性。

To date most of the research concerned with exploring the use of the skin for human-computer communication has focused on tactile displays, which represent a promising arena for enhancing the display of information in situations in which the visual and auditory systems are overloaded. But in addition to its tactile sensors, the skin also houses thermal receptors that respond to changes in skin temperature and convey information about the magnitude and rate of change in temperature. Thermal feedback may potentially be of use as a channel of communication or in enhancing tactile and visual feedback in multisensory displays. The PI's objective in this research is to explore the domains in which thermal feedback can be used as a medium of communication and to identify the types of inputs that are most effective for users, with the long term goal of discovering conditions under which thermal feedback enhances human performance as reflected in more efficient information processing or the ability to respond more effectively to an external event. The focus is on using thermal interfaces within the context of a multisensory environment to display abstract information rather than to facilitate object recognition in a virtual environment or when controlling a tele-operated robot. The human thermal sensory system presents unique challenges when considered as a medium of communication due to its spatial and temporal properties which differ from those of other sensory systems. Although this constrains the types of cues that can be presented to users, it also opens up the possibility of creating new forms of feedback which by virtue of their novelty may be quite compelling to users. The work will be divided into three thrusts: determine the optimal configuration and operating characteristics of thermal displays interfaced with input devices used to interact with computers; evaluate the feasibility of using thermal stimuli to represent abstract information and appraise the viability of using thermal cues to present novel sensory experiences such as illusions of moisture or wetness; and examine whether the representation of information in multisensory displays is enhanced when thermal feedback is presented concurrently with tactile and visual cues.Broader Impacts: There is very little research on the feasibility of using thermal displays to present abstract information, so this work has the potential to open a fundamentally new application domain for thermal interfaces. The availability of thermal cues in displays should increase the designer's ability to choose among modalities and assign functions and types of information to the channel that is best suited for their presentation. Project outcomes will also contribute to the development of sensory substitution systems for those with visual, auditory or vestibular impairments; there has been a considerable amount of research on using the sense of touch to compensate for deficiencies in other senses and the addition of thermal feedback to such displays provides an added dimension for communication, potentially increasing the reliability of communication.