Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Freshly squeezed touch into bits: towards the development of a haptic design palette

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Virtual Reality Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Haptic interfaces have the potential to enhance communication and interaction via the computer—enabling affective expressive interpersonal communication and enriching interaction by haptic feedback. Still, what exactly their potential is and how we can design in order to fulfil it remains topic of contemporary debate. My contribution to this debate shall be to place some of the current developments into a philosophical and cultural context and to introduce social science based methodologies, which will help broaden the discussion and scope of input. Through semiotic analysis, we can predict ‘meaning making’ in haptic communication that goes beyond linguistic description. Examples of Haptic interfaces shall be positioned as case studies in this typology. Also, I describe the Haptic Box and PinKom as my way of investigating a semiotic system of touch. In conclusion, this paper hopes to inform and catalyse the development of a haptic design palette.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig 4
Fig 5
Fig 6
Fig 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andrew S (2005) Textiles as cultural signifiers. Talk given at multimodal texts: reading sign systems conference, Portsmouth

  • Aristotle (1987) De anima: on the soul. Penguin Classics

  • Barker P, van Schaik P (2000) Icons in the mind. In: Yasdani M, Barker P (eds) Iconic communication. Intellect Books

  • Barnard M (2002) Fashion as communication. Routledge, London

  • Bohm D (1980) Wholeness and the implicate order. Routledge & P. Kegan, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown L, Brewster S, Purchase H (2005) A first investigation into the effectiveness of tactons. Proceedings of Worldhaptics, IEEE Computer Society, Pisa

  • Buber M (1923) I and Thou. Charles Scribner’s Sons

  • Chandler D (2002) Semiotics: the basics. Routledge, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Chan A, Maclean K, McGrenere J (2005) Learning and identifying haptic icons under workload. Proceedings of Worldhaptics, IEEE Computer Society, Pisa

  • Chang A, O’Modhrain S, Jacobs R, Gunther E, Ishii H (2002) ComTouch: design of a vibrotactile communication device. Proceedings of designing interactive systems, ACM Press, London

  • Descartes R (1960) Meditations on first philosophy. Liberal Arts Press

  • Dobson K, Boyd D, Ju W, Donath J, Ishii H (2001) Creating visceral personal and social interactions in mediated spaces. Proceedings of CHI 01, ACM Press, Seattle

  • Doloughan F, Rogers M (2005) To see things and texts: audiovisual translation, audiodescription and multimodality. Talk given at multimodal texts: reading sign systems conference, Portsmouth

  • Eco U (1980) Function and sign: the semiotics of architecture. In: Broadbent G, Bunt R, Jencks C (eds) Signs, symbols, and architecture. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Eco U (2003) Mouse or rat? Translation as negotiation. Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Ehn P, Kyng M (1991) Cardboard computers: mocking-it-up or hands-on the future. In: Greenbaum J, Kyng M (eds) Design at work: cooperative design of computer systems. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

  • Enriquez M, MacLean K (2003) The hapticon editor: a tool in support of haptic communication research, Proceedings of HAPTICS, IEEE Computer Society

  • Geldard FA (1960) Some neglected possibilities of communication. Science 131:1583–1588

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Geldard FA (1966) Cutaneous coding of optical signals: the Optohapt. Percept Psychophys 1:125–130

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldish LH, Taylor HE (1974). The optacon: a valuable device for blind persons. New Outlook for the Blind 68(2)

  • Gunther E, Davenport G, O’Modhrain S (2003) Cutaneous grooves: composing for the sense of touch. J New Music Res 32(4):369

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Hall ET (1966) The hidden dimension. Doubleday & Co, Garden City, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Heidegger M (2002) On time and being. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL

    Google Scholar 

  • Hume D (1963) A treatise of human nature. In: Chappell VC (ed) The philosophy of David Hume. Modern Library

  • Jencks C (1980) The architectural sign. In: Broadbent G, Bunt R, Jencks C (eds) Signs, symbols, and architecture. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahana G (2005) The space between us. Exhibited at the Mall Gallery, London

  • King A (2000) On the possibility and impossibility of a universal iconic communication system. In: Yasdani M, Barker P (eds) Iconic communication. Intellect Books

  • Kress G (2004) Reading images: multimodality, representation and new media. Expert forum for knowledge presentation. Retrieved October 28, 2005: http://www.knowledgepresentation.org/BuildingTheFuture/Kress2/Kress2.hml

  • Kress G, Van Leeuwen T (1996) Reading images: the grammar of visual design. Routledge, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Kress G, Van Leeuwen T (2001) Multimodal discourse: the modes and media of contemporary communication. Arnold, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn TS (1962) The structure of scientific revolutions. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL

    Google Scholar 

  • Kunz D, Peper E (1985) Fields and their clinical implications. Spiritual aspects of the healing arts, The Theosopical Publishing House, pp 213–261

  • Lakoff G Johnson M (1980) Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL

    Google Scholar 

  • Leeds-Hurwitz W (1993) Semiotics and communication: signs, codes, cultures. Lawrence Erlbaum Association

  • MacLean K (2000) Application-centred haptic interface design. In: Srinivasan M, Cutkosky M (eds) Human and machine haptics. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • McCorkle R, Hollenbach M (1990) Touch and the acutely Ill. In: Barnard KE, Berry T Brazelton (eds) Touch—the foundation of experience. International Universities Press Inc

  • Merleau-Ponty M (1962) The phenomenology of perception. Humanities Press

  • Norman D (1988) The design of everyday things. Basic Books, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Pacitti D (1998) Signs of the times (March 24). The Guardian, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Plato (1937) Timaeus. In the dialogues of Plato. Random House, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Riley H (2003) Multi-modal meanings: mapping the domain of design. Proceedings of 5th European Academy of Design Conference, Barcelona

  • Roberts JC, Franklin K (2005) Haptic glyphs (hlyphs)—structured haptic objects for haptic visualization. Proceedings of Worldhaptics, IEEE Computer Society, Pisa

  • Sartre JP (1956) On being and nothingness. Washington Square Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Tollmar K, Junestrand S, Torgny O (2000) Virtually living together—using multiple-method designing in the search for telematic emotion. Proceedings of Designing Interactive Systems, ACM Press, New York

  • Van Erp JBF, Spapé MMA (2003) Distilling the underlying dimensions of tactile melodies. Proceedings of EuroHaptics, Dublin

  • Weber R (1990) A philosophical perspective on touch. In: Barnard KE, Berry Brazelton T (eds) Touch—the foundation of experience. International Universities Press Inc

  • Wyschograd E (1981) Empathy and sympathy as tactile encounter.J Philos 6:25–43

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Art, Design and Media, University of Portsmouth, Winston Churchill Avenue, PO1 2DJ, Portsmouth, UK

    Simone Gumtau

Authors
  1. Simone Gumtau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Simone Gumtau.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gumtau, S. Freshly squeezed touch into bits: towards the development of a haptic design palette. Virtual Reality 9, 250–259 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-006-0022-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-006-0022-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation