Haptic perception
Haptic perception (Greek: haptόs "palpable", haptikόs "suitable for touch") means literally the ability "to grasp something". Perception in this case is achieved through the active exploration of surfaces and objects by a moving subject, as opposed to passive contact by a static subject during tactile perception.[1]
History[edit]
The term haptik was coined by the German Psychologist Max Dessoir in 1892, when suggesting a name for academic research into the sense of touch in the style of that in "acoustics" and "optics".[2][3]
Gibson (1966)[4] defined the haptic system as "[t]he sensibility of the individual to the world adjacent to his body by use of his body". Gibson and others further emphasized what Weber had realized in 1851: the close interdependence of haptic perception and body movement, and that haptic perception is active exploration.
The concept of haptic perception is related to the concept of extended physiological proprioception, according to which when a tool such as a stick is used, perceptual experience is transparently transferred to the end of the tool.[5]
Haptic perception relies on the forces experienced during touch.[6] This research allows the creation of "virtual", illusory haptic shapes with different perceived qualities,[7] which has clear application in haptic technology.[8]
Haptic therapy[edit]
Immersive environments can recreate the feeling of haptic interaction.[18] Exoskeletal gloves such as the Exo-Skin Soft Haptic exoskeletal interface, developed at Drexel University, can be programmed to take a patient through a program of physical therapy exercises to retrain muscles and senses.[19]