Matching Performance of 2D Phantom Sensations with Visual Motions

Abstract

Vibrotactile feedback is an important element for enhancing user experiences in Human-Computer Interaction. Among various vibration rendering techniques, the phantom sensation—an illusion of a tactile sensation occurring midway between multiple stimuli—offers a promising approach for efficiently creating spatial cues. Despite its potential, prior research has predominantly assumed that 2D phantom sensations correspond to single-object visual motion, without rigorous comparison against multi-object visual representations. Moreover, the perceptual effects of employing non-identical frequency combinations to render phantom sensation remain unexplored in the literature. Therefore, this study evaluated the perceptual matching performance between 2D moving phantom sensations and various types of visual motion. Results revealed that 2D phantom sensations were weakly matched with single-object motion, contrary to conventional assumptions. While frequency combinations did not significantly affect matching performance, including a low-frequency component increased perceptual matching performance. Overall, 2D phantom sensations corresponded more closely to two moving objects and size-changing four visual objects rather than a single motion.