Y. Shimizu et al., TACTILE PATTERN-RECOGNITION BY GRAPHIC DISPLAY - IMPORTANCE OF 3-D INFORMATION FOR HAPTIC PERCEPTION OF FAMILIAR OBJECTS, Perception & psychophysics, 53(1), 1993, pp. 43-48
Haptic recognition of familiar objects by the early blind, the late bl
ind, and the sighted was investigated with two-dimensional (2-D) and t
hree-dimensional (3-D) stimuli produced by small tactor-pins. The 2-D
stimulus was an outline of an object that was depicted by raising tact
or-pins to 1.5 mm. The 3-D stimulus was a relief that was produced by
raising the tactors up to 10 mm, corresponding to the height of the ob
ject. Mean recognition times for correct answers to the 3-D stimuli we
re faster than those for the 2-D stimuli, in all three subject groups.
No statistically significant differences in percentage of correct res
ponses between the 2-D and the 3-D stimuli were found for the late-bli
nd and sighted groups, but the early-blind group demonstrated a signif
icant difference. In addition, the haptic legibility for the quality o
f depiction of the object, without regard to whether or not the stimul
us was understood, was measured. The haptic legibility of the 3-D stim
uli was significantly higher than that of the 2-D stimuli for all the
groups. These results suggest that 3-D presentation seems to promise a
way to overcome the limitations of 2-D graphic display.