The present aim was to investigate if controlled vibrotactile stimulation can be used to inform u... more The present aim was to investigate if controlled vibrotactile stimulation can be used to inform users on how to regulate their behavior. 36 stimuli were varied by frequency modulation (i.e., ascending, constant, and descending), duration (i.e., 500, 1750, and 3000 ms), waveform (i.e., sine and sawtooth), and body location (i.e., wrist and chest), and presented to 12 participants. The participants were to evaluate without any training the meaning of each presented stimuli using three response options: ‘accelerate your speed’, ‘keep your speed constant’, and ‘decelerate your speed’. Participants rated also how emotionally pleasant and arousing the different stimulations were. The results showed that the stimuli were predominantly perceived analogously with the vibration frequency modulation. The best stimuli represented ‘accelerate your speed’, ‘keep your speed constant’, and ‘decelerate your speed’ information in accuracies of 88, 100, and 79 %, respectively. Stimulations were experienced as more pleasant in the wrist compared to the chest location. Both ascending and descending stimulations were rated as more arousing than stimuli with constant frequency. Our results suggest that tactile stimulation could be used in real life mobile applications, for example, in sports to inform the users on how they should regulate their performance.
The automotive evolution in virtual controls for touchscreen interaction provides the opportunity... more The automotive evolution in virtual controls for touchscreen interaction provides the opportunity to manage and manipulate In-vehicle Infotainment (IVI) system without the need for large physical control. However, as most of these virtual controls are designed for visual feedback in PCs and mobile devices, their implementation can have usability and accessibility constraints in a moving vehicle. In fact, for some controls the interaction primitives may be substantially different from the physical versions (i.e., multi-finger knobs, single finger dials etc.), therefore requiring drivers to remaster the mechanics of virtual interaction to properly utilize these controls on a touchscreen surface. Although, some IVI systems now include basic vibrotactile feedback which may only provide abstract confirmation of triggers or events, but this technique may not be ideal for calibrated tactile or textural output in a moving vehicle. Recently, electrostatic or electrovibration feedback has been proposed for touchscreen interaction which can augment the systems with clear and precise textures rendered on the touchscreen. As this technology is relatively new and may have certain limitations, it is important to understand how the usability of current graphical user interfaces (GUIs) controls augmented with electrostatic feedback may improve touchscreen interaction. This research study looks at 8 common GUI controls adapted for touchscreen surfaces primarily for visual interaction and augments them with vibrotactile and electrostatic feedback. The goal of the study is to understand which type of controls are suitable for visual only interaction, and which controls require basic tactile feedback (vibration confirmation), while identifying the GUI controls that may be most effectively utilized in the presence of electrostatic tactile feedback on the touchscreen using friction variation.
A device for studying facial pacing for people who suffer from unilateral facial paralysis is pre... more A device for studying facial pacing for people who suffer from unilateral facial paralysis is presented. The device is able to measure electromyographic (EMG) signals from the healthy side of the face and simultaneously activate the paralysed side with electrical stimulation. Electronics designed for the device are integrated to a single tabletop unit together with a myRIO embedded hardware device by National Instruments (NI). The presented device is designed to fulfil the safety requirements of the Council Directive 93/42/EEC of the European Union concerning medical devices and IEC 60601 standards. The device is powered by a commercial medical grade power source. The custom electronics include isolated measurement and stimulation amplifiers that feed the signals to and from the myRIO. Complex real-time processing can be carried out in the myRIO's FPGA circuit for detecting muscle activations and producing appropriate stimulation signals. The functionality is programmed with NI ...
Tuntoaistin välittämä tieto on tärkeä perusta ympäristön ja muiden ihmisten kanssa tapahtuvalle v... more Tuntoaistin välittämä tieto on tärkeä perusta ympäristön ja muiden ihmisten kanssa tapahtuvalle vuorovaikutukselle. Tuntoaistimukset tarjoavat tietoa käyttäytymisen säätelemiseksi esimerkiksi suuntaamalla tarkkaavaisuuttamme ja ohjaamalla kehomme liikkeitä. Tässä väitöskirjassa tutkittiin teknologian välittämää, värinän avulla tuotettua tietoa ihmisen toiminnan säätelemiseksi. Väitöskirjan tavoitteena oli selvittää, miten erilaisten värinäherätteiden avulla voidaan luoda helposti ymmärrettäviä ohjeita esimerkiksi nopeuden säätelemiseksi liikuntaharjoituksen aikana ja miten ne mahdollistaisivat nopean reaktion esimerkiksi hätäjarrutuksen tekemiseksi vaarallisessa ajotilanteessa. Neljän kontrolloidun laboratoriokokeen tulokset osoittivat, että melko yksinkertaisen tuntopalauteteknologian avulla on mahdollista välittää tietoa käyttäjän toiminnan säätelemiseksi monissa tilanteissa. Lisäksi tulokset osoittivat, että keinotekoisesti tuotetut värinäohjeet voivat olla intuitiivisia siten, e...
An adaptive method for reliable and fast detection of muscle activity from surface electromyograp... more An adaptive method for reliable and fast detection of muscle activity from surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals is introduced. The aim of this research was to minimize the delay of the onset and termination detection, while still retaining the reliability and simplicity of the detection algorithm. The proposed algorithm is based on a double-threshold detector. The algorithm applies the same principles as a constant false alarm rate (CFAR) processor that is often used to distinguish events from noisy environments with dynamic noise characteristics. The algorithm was tested with different noise conditions and frequencies. For each condition, a set of 1000 computer-simulated EMG signals were processed multiple times with different processing parameters in order to find the optimal settings for reliable muscle activity detection. The results for the detection delays were comparable to previously published results, and for low-noise conditions the detection worked without errors. The...
A wide range of applications can benefit from the measurement of facial activity. The current stu... more A wide range of applications can benefit from the measurement of facial activity. The current study presents a method that can be used to detect and classify the movements of different parts of the face and the expressions the movements form. The method is based on capacitive measurement of facial movements. It uses principal component analysis on the measured data to identify active areas of the face in offline analysis, and hierarchical clustering as a basis for classifying the movements offline and in real-time. Experiments involving a set of voluntary facial movements were carried out with 10 participants. The results show that the principal component analysis of the measured data could be applied with almost perfect performance to offline mapping of the vertical location of the facial activity of movements such as raising and lowering eyebrows, opening mouth, raising mouth corners, and lowering mouth corners. The presented classification method also performed very well in class...
The present aim was to investigate if controlled vibrotactile stimulation can be used to inform u... more The present aim was to investigate if controlled vibrotactile stimulation can be used to inform users on how to regulate their behavior. 36 stimuli were varied by frequency modulation (i.e., ascending, constant, and descending), duration (i.e., 500, 1750, and 3000 ms), waveform (i.e., sine and sawtooth), and body location (i.e., wrist and chest), and presented to 12 participants. The participants were to evaluate without any training the meaning of each presented stimuli using three response options: ‘accelerate your speed’, ‘keep your speed constant’, and ‘decelerate your speed’. Participants rated also how emotionally pleasant and arousing the different stimulations were. The results showed that the stimuli were predominantly perceived analogously with the vibration frequency modulation. The best stimuli represented ‘accelerate your speed’, ‘keep your speed constant’, and ‘decelerate your speed’ information in accuracies of 88, 100, and 79 %, respectively. Stimulations were experi...
The present aim was to investigate if controlled vibrotactile stimulation can be used to inform u... more The present aim was to investigate if controlled vibrotactile stimulation can be used to inform users on how to regulate their behavior. 36 stimuli were varied by frequency modulation (i.e., ascending, constant, and descending), duration (i.e., 500, 1750, and 3000 ms), waveform (i.e., sine and sawtooth), and body location (i.e., wrist and chest), and presented to 12 participants. The participants were to evaluate without any training the meaning of each presented stimuli using three response options: ‘accelerate your speed’, ‘keep your speed constant’, and ‘decelerate your speed’. Participants rated also how emotionally pleasant and arousing the different stimulations were. The results showed that the stimuli were predominantly perceived analogously with the vibration frequency modulation. The best stimuli represented ‘accelerate your speed’, ‘keep your speed constant’, and ‘decelerate your speed’ information in accuracies of 88, 100, and 79 %, respectively. Stimulations were experienced as more pleasant in the wrist compared to the chest location. Both ascending and descending stimulations were rated as more arousing than stimuli with constant frequency. Our results suggest that tactile stimulation could be used in real life mobile applications, for example, in sports to inform the users on how they should regulate their performance.
The automotive evolution in virtual controls for touchscreen interaction provides the opportunity... more The automotive evolution in virtual controls for touchscreen interaction provides the opportunity to manage and manipulate In-vehicle Infotainment (IVI) system without the need for large physical control. However, as most of these virtual controls are designed for visual feedback in PCs and mobile devices, their implementation can have usability and accessibility constraints in a moving vehicle. In fact, for some controls the interaction primitives may be substantially different from the physical versions (i.e., multi-finger knobs, single finger dials etc.), therefore requiring drivers to remaster the mechanics of virtual interaction to properly utilize these controls on a touchscreen surface. Although, some IVI systems now include basic vibrotactile feedback which may only provide abstract confirmation of triggers or events, but this technique may not be ideal for calibrated tactile or textural output in a moving vehicle. Recently, electrostatic or electrovibration feedback has been proposed for touchscreen interaction which can augment the systems with clear and precise textures rendered on the touchscreen. As this technology is relatively new and may have certain limitations, it is important to understand how the usability of current graphical user interfaces (GUIs) controls augmented with electrostatic feedback may improve touchscreen interaction. This research study looks at 8 common GUI controls adapted for touchscreen surfaces primarily for visual interaction and augments them with vibrotactile and electrostatic feedback. The goal of the study is to understand which type of controls are suitable for visual only interaction, and which controls require basic tactile feedback (vibration confirmation), while identifying the GUI controls that may be most effectively utilized in the presence of electrostatic tactile feedback on the touchscreen using friction variation.
A device for studying facial pacing for people who suffer from unilateral facial paralysis is pre... more A device for studying facial pacing for people who suffer from unilateral facial paralysis is presented. The device is able to measure electromyographic (EMG) signals from the healthy side of the face and simultaneously activate the paralysed side with electrical stimulation. Electronics designed for the device are integrated to a single tabletop unit together with a myRIO embedded hardware device by National Instruments (NI). The presented device is designed to fulfil the safety requirements of the Council Directive 93/42/EEC of the European Union concerning medical devices and IEC 60601 standards. The device is powered by a commercial medical grade power source. The custom electronics include isolated measurement and stimulation amplifiers that feed the signals to and from the myRIO. Complex real-time processing can be carried out in the myRIO's FPGA circuit for detecting muscle activations and producing appropriate stimulation signals. The functionality is programmed with NI ...
Tuntoaistin välittämä tieto on tärkeä perusta ympäristön ja muiden ihmisten kanssa tapahtuvalle v... more Tuntoaistin välittämä tieto on tärkeä perusta ympäristön ja muiden ihmisten kanssa tapahtuvalle vuorovaikutukselle. Tuntoaistimukset tarjoavat tietoa käyttäytymisen säätelemiseksi esimerkiksi suuntaamalla tarkkaavaisuuttamme ja ohjaamalla kehomme liikkeitä. Tässä väitöskirjassa tutkittiin teknologian välittämää, värinän avulla tuotettua tietoa ihmisen toiminnan säätelemiseksi. Väitöskirjan tavoitteena oli selvittää, miten erilaisten värinäherätteiden avulla voidaan luoda helposti ymmärrettäviä ohjeita esimerkiksi nopeuden säätelemiseksi liikuntaharjoituksen aikana ja miten ne mahdollistaisivat nopean reaktion esimerkiksi hätäjarrutuksen tekemiseksi vaarallisessa ajotilanteessa. Neljän kontrolloidun laboratoriokokeen tulokset osoittivat, että melko yksinkertaisen tuntopalauteteknologian avulla on mahdollista välittää tietoa käyttäjän toiminnan säätelemiseksi monissa tilanteissa. Lisäksi tulokset osoittivat, että keinotekoisesti tuotetut värinäohjeet voivat olla intuitiivisia siten, e...
An adaptive method for reliable and fast detection of muscle activity from surface electromyograp... more An adaptive method for reliable and fast detection of muscle activity from surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals is introduced. The aim of this research was to minimize the delay of the onset and termination detection, while still retaining the reliability and simplicity of the detection algorithm. The proposed algorithm is based on a double-threshold detector. The algorithm applies the same principles as a constant false alarm rate (CFAR) processor that is often used to distinguish events from noisy environments with dynamic noise characteristics. The algorithm was tested with different noise conditions and frequencies. For each condition, a set of 1000 computer-simulated EMG signals were processed multiple times with different processing parameters in order to find the optimal settings for reliable muscle activity detection. The results for the detection delays were comparable to previously published results, and for low-noise conditions the detection worked without errors. The...
A wide range of applications can benefit from the measurement of facial activity. The current stu... more A wide range of applications can benefit from the measurement of facial activity. The current study presents a method that can be used to detect and classify the movements of different parts of the face and the expressions the movements form. The method is based on capacitive measurement of facial movements. It uses principal component analysis on the measured data to identify active areas of the face in offline analysis, and hierarchical clustering as a basis for classifying the movements offline and in real-time. Experiments involving a set of voluntary facial movements were carried out with 10 participants. The results show that the principal component analysis of the measured data could be applied with almost perfect performance to offline mapping of the vertical location of the facial activity of movements such as raising and lowering eyebrows, opening mouth, raising mouth corners, and lowering mouth corners. The presented classification method also performed very well in class...
The present aim was to investigate if controlled vibrotactile stimulation can be used to inform u... more The present aim was to investigate if controlled vibrotactile stimulation can be used to inform users on how to regulate their behavior. 36 stimuli were varied by frequency modulation (i.e., ascending, constant, and descending), duration (i.e., 500, 1750, and 3000 ms), waveform (i.e., sine and sawtooth), and body location (i.e., wrist and chest), and presented to 12 participants. The participants were to evaluate without any training the meaning of each presented stimuli using three response options: ‘accelerate your speed’, ‘keep your speed constant’, and ‘decelerate your speed’. Participants rated also how emotionally pleasant and arousing the different stimulations were. The results showed that the stimuli were predominantly perceived analogously with the vibration frequency modulation. The best stimuli represented ‘accelerate your speed’, ‘keep your speed constant’, and ‘decelerate your speed’ information in accuracies of 88, 100, and 79 %, respectively. Stimulations were experi...
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