Opportunity
Mobile and wearable personal devices are increasingly used to transmit information in real time. Tactile feedback from such devices enables users to receive information quietly or silently and without looking at a screen. This is more suitable than traditional visual/textual or audio communication for purposes such as navigation and notifications/warnings. Vibration is a common form of tactile feedback. However, when vibrotactile feedback is provided from multiple points, it becomes difficult for the user to precisely identify the feedback locations when there is turbulence or movement. This affects the usability of vibrotactile devices during, for example, walking or driving. A viable alternative is thermal feedback, in which temperature changes signal information. A thermal feedback device could, for example, notify driving-simulation users of lane changes and direction information, or provide navigation cues for visually impaired people. Given the high sensitivity of the ear, ear-worn thermal devices are promising for haptic feedback provision.
Technology
The inventors have developed a wearable device that provides thermal haptic feedback to the ear. Hot and cold stimuli are conveyed through multiple points on the user’s auricular skin. The invention includes several thermoelectric modules providing thermal feedback, a wireless receiver to receive information from a computing device, and a power supply connected to a controller. Information from the computing device is signalled by the intensity of thermal feedback and the pattern (i.e., which modules are activated). Unlike most existing haptic feedback devices, the developed device can accommodate differences in sensitivity between parts of the ear and users. For example, hairy skin is more sensitive than hairless skin; men and women differ in preferred temperature. Additional components such as a microphone, speaker, biosensor, or GPS module can be incorporated. The device could provide information for vision/hearing-impaired wearers, navigation signals for cyclists/motorcyclists, or hot and cold sensory stimulation for virtual reality gamers.
Advantages
- More suitable than audio/visual feedback for hearing/vision-impaired users
- More suitable than audio feedback in noisy environments
- More suitable than vibrotactile feedback for users on the move
- Can be adjusted to user’s sensitivity
- Can be adjusted to sensitivity of different parts of the ear
Applications
- Hands-free navigation aid for hearing/vision-impaired users
- Hands-free navigation aid for cyclists/motorcyclists
- Sensory stimulation to enhance immersive experience for VR gamers
