Abstract
Softness can be physically expressed in different ways, for example as a stiffness value (spring constant), compliance value (the inverse of stiffness), or Young’s modulus. The relation between these quantities is discussed, as well as the psychophysical techniques for characterising the perception of these quantities. For perception of softness, multiple cues are available: visual cues include the deformation of the material around the fingers, while haptic cues include the ratio between applied force and resulting displacement of the material, and the force distribution over the contact area. Furthermore, to register these haptic cues, both cutaneous and kinaesthetic information can be used. The role of these different cues and types of information is discussed and also the interaction between the hand and the deformable material.
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Acknowledgments
This work has been partially supported by the European Commission with the Collaborative Project no. 248587, “THE Hand Embodied”, within the FP7-ICT-2009-4-2-1 program “Cognitive Systems and Robotics”.
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Bergmann Tiest, W.M., Kappers, A.M. (2014). Physical Aspects of Softness Perception. In: Di Luca, M. (eds) Multisensory Softness. Springer Series on Touch and Haptic Systems. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6533-0_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6533-0_1
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