Audio-tactile glove

This paper introduces the Audio-Tactile Glove, an experimental tool for the analysis of vibrotactile feedback in instrument design. Vibrotactile feedback provides essential information in the operation of acoustic instruments. The Audio-Tactile Glove is designed as a research tool for the investigation of the various techniques used to apply this theory to digital interfaces. The user receives vibrations via actuators distributed throughout the glove, located so as not to interrupt the physical contact required between user and interface. Using this actuator array, researchers will be able to independently apply vibrotactile information to six stimulation points across each hand exploiting the broad frequency range of the device, with specific sensitivity within the haptic frequency range of the hand. It is proposed that researchers considering the inclusion of vibrotactile feedback in existing devices can utilize this device without altering their initial designs.