**5. Overall summary and future direction**

In this chapter, we introduced a series of psychological studies recently conducted in our laboratory and discussed the abstract feelings emerging from haptic stimulation. These studies aimed at investigating how humans conceive abstract feelings such as animacy, presence, or pleasantness from simple haptic stimulation and how such abstract feelings affect human experience and behavior.

In sum, we showed that haptic stimulation and abstract feelings are closely related. The first study showed that a feeling of animacy emerges from haptic stimulation in a frequency-dependent manner. The lower frequency (1–2 Hz) of haptic vibratory stimulation yielded the stronger feeling of animacy, while the higher frequency did not. The second study showed the importance of haptic stimulation in interpersonal communication. The presence of haptic communication in particular improved the quality of experience and the impression of the other person, even from a simple vibratory stimulation. The third study showed that haptic stimulation can modulate abstract feelings emerging in sensory modalities other than haptics.

Although all these studies have suggested the potential impact of haptic stimulation on abstract feelings, the empirical evidence of abstract feelings' emerging from haptic stimulation is much less than for the perceptual and sensory processes. The first reason may be that abstract feelings are too vague to examine empirically. Another reason relates to the difficulty of controlling haptic stimulation. However, at least with regard to the second reason, we have shown that simple vibratory haptic stimulation can be associated with abstract feelings. Therefore, it would be possible to investigate abstract feelings using simple haptic stimulation, which would accelerate the research concerning haptic stimulation associated with abstract feelings.

Future research directions regarding haptic stimulation and abstract feelings could include the following:


All these studies could provide further insights into how humans conceive abstract feelings in response to haptic stimulation, and more generally, what abstract feelings emerge from haptic stimulation.

Finally, it would be worthwhile to state the potential applications of the results of the study of abstract feelings emerging from haptic stimulation. In the past decade, implementation of a sense of touch in communication devices has been advancing rapidly (e.g., humanoid and pet robots, mobile phones, and video games). Strong feelings of animacy might enhance the quality of communication through these devices. Furthermore, if other abstract feelings such as presence or intimacy were implemented in a future haptic device, the device should appreciate in value and would be expected to be widely used in real society. While the research discussed in this chapter is positioned as basic research on humans' cognitive process with regard to haptics, the results may help in designing and developing user-friendly devices by implementing the emergence of abstract feelings.

#### **6. References**

16 Will-be-set-by-IN-TECH

In this chapter, we introduced a series of psychological studies recently conducted in our laboratory and discussed the abstract feelings emerging from haptic stimulation. These studies aimed at investigating how humans conceive abstract feelings such as animacy, presence, or pleasantness from simple haptic stimulation and how such abstract feelings affect

In sum, we showed that haptic stimulation and abstract feelings are closely related. The first study showed that a feeling of animacy emerges from haptic stimulation in a frequency-dependent manner. The lower frequency (1–2 Hz) of haptic vibratory stimulation yielded the stronger feeling of animacy, while the higher frequency did not. The second study showed the importance of haptic stimulation in interpersonal communication. The presence of haptic communication in particular improved the quality of experience and the impression of the other person, even from a simple vibratory stimulation. The third study showed that haptic stimulation can modulate abstract feelings emerging in sensory modalities other than

Although all these studies have suggested the potential impact of haptic stimulation on abstract feelings, the empirical evidence of abstract feelings' emerging from haptic stimulation is much less than for the perceptual and sensory processes. The first reason may be that abstract feelings are too vague to examine empirically. Another reason relates to the difficulty of controlling haptic stimulation. However, at least with regard to the second reason, we have shown that simple vibratory haptic stimulation can be associated with abstract feelings. Therefore, it would be possible to investigate abstract feelings using simple haptic stimulation, which would accelerate the research concerning haptic stimulation associated with abstract

Future research directions regarding haptic stimulation and abstract feelings could include

• Measure the indices other than subjective evaluation, such as physiological responses to

• Relate controlled experimental studies to uncontrolled daily experience (e.g., patterns of

All these studies could provide further insights into how humans conceive abstract feelings in response to haptic stimulation, and more generally, what abstract feelings emerge from haptic

Finally, it would be worthwhile to state the potential applications of the results of the study of abstract feelings emerging from haptic stimulation. In the past decade, implementation of a sense of touch in communication devices has been advancing rapidly (e.g., humanoid and pet robots, mobile phones, and video games). Strong feelings of animacy might enhance the quality of communication through these devices. Furthermore, if other abstract feelings such as presence or intimacy were implemented in a future haptic device, the device should appreciate in value and would be expected to be widely used in real society. While the research discussed in this chapter is positioned as basic research on humans' cognitive process with regard to haptics, the results may help in designing and developing user-friendly devices by

frequency dependence for animacy and the frequencies of real-world animals).

• Compare abstract feelings emerging from simple haptic stimulation and the real object. • Examine the relation between haptic stimulation and abstract feelings other than animacy.

• Test factors other than frequency of haptic stimulation on abstract feelings.

**5. Overall summary and future direction**

human experience and behavior.

haptics.

feelings.

the following:

stimulation.

haptic stimulation.

implementing the emergence of abstract feelings.


**0**

**6**

*Spain*

**Effective Haptic Rendering Method**

**Virtual scenario**

**Haptic device**

**Virtual tool**

Josune Hernantes, Iñaki Díaz, Diego Borro and Jorge Juan Gil

The development of haptic technology is allowing the introduction of Virtual Reality systems as teaching and working tools into many fields such as engineering (Howard & Vance, 2007;

Haptic devices allow users to interact with a certain environment, either remote or virtual, through the sense of touch, considerably enhancing interactivity. A haptic device is a mechanism that allows users to control the movements of a virtual tool or a real robot and

The usability of these systems is conditioned by the quality of the haptic feedback applied to the user. Technologically, the computation of appropriate and realistic haptic stimuli continues to be a complicated issue. The human sensory-motor system demands a fast update rate (at least 1 kHz) for the haptic stimuli applied to the user in order to avoid instabilities in

receive tactile and kinesthetic information from the working environment (Fig. 1).

Savall et al., 2002) or surgery (Basdogan et al., 2004; Li & Liu, 2006).

Fig. 1. Haptic interaction with a virtual environment

**1. Introduction**

**for Complex Interactions**

*CEIT and TECNUN (University of Navarra)*

