**1. Introduction**

46 Haptics Rendering and Applications

Raj, V.; Ingty, K. & Devananan, M. (1985). Weight appreciation in the hand in normal

Rinekenauer, G.; Mattes, S. & Ulrich, R. (1999). The surface-weight illusion: on the

Ross, H. (1969). When is a weight not illusory? *Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology*,

Ross, H.; Brodie, E. & Benson, A. (1984). Mass discrimination during prolonged

Ross, H. & Rischike, M. (1982). Mass estimation and discrimination during brief periods of

Ross, H. & Murray, D. (1978). *The sense of touch* (Original work published by Weber, E. 1834),

Ross, J. & Di Lollo, V. (1970). Differences in heaviness in relation to density and weight. *Perception & Psychophysics*, Vol. 7, No.3, (May, 1970), pp. 161-162, ISSN 1943-3921 Rothwell, J.; Traub, M.; Day, B.; Obeso, J.; Thomas, P. & Marsden, C. (1982). Manual motor

Scripture, E. (1897). The law of size-weight suggestion. *Science*, Vol. 5, No.110, (February,

Sperry, R. (1950). Neural basis of the spontaneous optokinetic response produced by visual

Stevens, J. & Green, B. (1978). Temperature-touch interaction: Weber's phenomenon revisited. *Sensory processes*, Vol. 2, No.3, (Oct, 1978), pp. 206-209, ISSN 0363-3799 Stevens, S. (1958). Problems and methods of psychophysics. *Psychological Bulletin*, Vol. 55.

Streit, M.; Shockley, K. & Riley, M. (2007). Rotational inertia and multimodal heaviness

Turvey, M. & Carello, C. (1995). Dynamic touch. In: *Handbook of perception and cognition:* 

Westwood, D.; Danckert, J.; Servos, P. & Goodale, M. (2002). Grasping two-dimensional

Zhu, Q. & Bingham, G. (2011). Human readiness to throw: the size-weight illusion is not an

*Research*, Vol. 144, No.2, (May, 2002), pp. 262-267, ISSN 0014-4819

Vol. 32, No. 4, (July, 2011), pp. 288-293, ISSN 1090-5138

61, No. 1, (January, 1999), pp. 23-30, ISSN 1943-3921

Vol. 21, No.4, pp. 346-355, ISSN 1747-0218

Academic Press, ISBN 012740550X, London

(December, 1950), pp. 482-489, ISSN 0021-9940

No.4, (July, 1958), pp. 177-196, ISSN 0033-2909

Press, San Diego, ISBN 0-12-240530-7 CA

95-102, ISSN 0006-8950

436, ISSN 1943-3921

1897), p. 227, ISSN 0036-8075

1006, ISSN 1069-9384

0006-8950

subjects and in patient with leprous neuropathy. *Brain*, Vol. 108, No.1, (n.d.), pp.

contribution of grip force to perceived heaviness. *Perception & Psychophysics*, Vol.

weightlessness. *Science*, Vol. 225, No.4658, (July, 1984), pp. 219-221, ISSN 0036-8075

zero gravity. *Perception & Psychophysics*, Vol. 31, No. 5, (September, 1982), pp. 429-

performance in a deafferented man. *Brain*, Vol. 105, No.3, (n.d.), pp. 515-542, ISSN

neural inversion. *Journal of Comparative and Physiological Psychology*, Vol.43, No.6,

perception. *Psychonomic Bulletin & Review*, Vol. 14, No. 5, (October, 2007), pp. 1001-

*perception of space and motion*. W. Epstein, & S. Rogers, (Eds.), pp. 401-490, Academic

images and three-dimensional objects in visual-form agnosia. *Experimental Brain* 

illusion when picking up the best objects to throw. *Evolution and Human Behavior*,

Haptic interfaces promise to add a new channel to digital communication, through the exploitation of the sense of touch, beside the traditional sense of sight and of hearing. Nonetheless, even if they firstly appeared on the market in the early nineties, they haven't spread yet in the society as a consumer product. This is not due to the intrinsic nature of the sense of touch that is a very sophisticated sensorial system, able to perceive fine and complex time and spatial varying characteristics of the outer world, but to the limited capabilities of the nowadays available haptic systems. Indeed, if from one side they allow quite realistic rendering of "mediated contacts" (i.e. contact of an object mediated by a specific tool like a pen, scissors, screw driver etc.), on the other side they are less effective for the rendering of cases of interaction in which the human limbs contact directly the object (direct contact). The main limitation lays in the lack of a proper simultaneous elicitation of kinesthetic and tactile cues.

In this chapter we provide a review of the main problems and possible solutions for the realization of a complete hardware and software system that integrates kinaesthetic and tactile devices. We provide an analysis of the direct contact interaction and of possible HW/SW architectural solutions for the implementation of a haptic system.

We analyze the mechanical design aspects (Machine Haptics) and software computational issues (Computer Haptics) that arise when tactile and kinaesthetic device have to be integrated.

In the last section of this chapter we present a case study focussed on the realization of a complete integrated system for the simulation of haptic interaction with virtual textiles.
