Meta Research

Tuesday, July 9th | Sola City Conference Center in Ochanomizu, Tokyo, Japan

Bridging the gap between engineering haptic devices and haptic perception science can be challenging. Engineers generally try to create haptic devices and software that outperform previous ones while perception scientists tend to use such devices to create sensations that can be studied. But the two classes of researchers often do so independently, with little information exchange. To make more than incremental changes to the devices and the understanding of perception, researchers from the two fields need to effectively communicate with each other at multiple different levels of abstraction. This is particularly challenging, because it requires bi-directional conveyance of nuanced understanding and insight. To accomplish this, a common language needs to be created and shared across device design and the science of haptic perception.

At the World Haptics Conference 2019, Facebook Reality Labs is organizing a workshop focusing to facilitate the dialogue, offering different perspectives on the same topics. Two speakers will present on the same topic offering different perspectives highlighting their research interests, lessons learned, unanswered questions, different ways of approaching the same problem and challenges. Particular attention will be devoted to ‘success stories’ of cross-functional collaborations and research problem that could benefit from cross-functional input.

Topics will focus on hand-mounted haptic displays based on different haptic primitives in multi-sensory experience: Vibrations, Skin Stretch, and Impedance.