Research – TACIT

This is the list of resources that guided our exploration.

Psychology

touch leaves a memory trace that persists long after the physical sensation is gone
information appears to be stored without much conscious awareness

The three basic parameters to test on haptic primitives are intensity, frequency, and duration.

Chapter on Touch, page 429-447, Sensation and Perception 6th by Jeremy Wolfe

Human temporal sensitivity (5ms) is better than vision (25ms) but worse than audio (0.01ms)
Intermodal feelings with other senses either: compete for brain’s attention, or complement to build up 1 representation.

Haptic exploratory procedures

Toward Affective Handles for Tuning Vibrations: ACM Transactions on Applied Perception (TAP), Volume 15, Issue 3

three emotion dimensions (agitation, liveliness, and strangeness)
an automatable algorithm can increase a vibration’s perceived agitation and liveliness to different degrees via signal energy, while increasing its discontinuity or randomness makes it more strange.

Sensations can be given by

Usage of gloves are common in

Training for hand motions such as using a delicate machine (force feedback useful).
Gaming sensations feedback.

bHaptic TactGlove DK2

HaptX

Even with the most complex gloves in the current market, without temperature, water still has to be simulated by audio and visual contexts.

physical vibration parameters (level, frequency, modulation frequency, bandwidth and decay rate)
perceptual attribute “weak,” which is highly negatively correlated to the sensation level of the vibration.
perceptual attribute “up and down,” which is highly negatively correlated with vibration frequency.
perceptual attribute “tingling,” which is highly positively correlated with vibration frequency.
perceptual attribute “repetitive,” which can be used to describe AM vibration and is thus highly correlated with modulation frequency.
perceptual attribute “fading,” which can be used to distinguish between transient and nontransient vibration signals and is thus highly correlated with the decay rate.
perceptual attribute “uniform,” which can be used to distinguish between stochastic (noise) and periodic vibration and which is negatively correlated with the bandwidth parameter.

multisensory elements should be considered beyond simple “add-ons” and advocated for experimentation with new kinds of storytelling taking inspiration from multisensory design research and work on sensory substitution

findings suggest that haptic parameters can dynamically enhance the emotional response of cinematic experiences, offering a multisensory approach to storytelling.
in scenes designed to evoke joy or excitement, high-frequency and goosebump-textured stimuli intensified engagement
in tranquil scenes, low-frequency and smooth textures supported the intended emotional tone.

Touch the Story: An immersive mid-air haptic experience: 2022 International Conference on Interactive Media, Smart Systems and Emerging Technologies (IMET)

The second study explores whether haptics can enhance the perceived immersiveness, novelty, and creepiness of a haunted house via vibrotactile stimuli on user’s palm, and concealed actuators rattled the user’s chair. Séance-themed audio and visuals provided narrative context.
nineteen of twenty-two participants reported that haptic effects increased their sense of immersion
the influence of context on stimulus interpretation, as well as the unique payoffs when stimuli are tailored for a particular context.

A user-derived mapping for mid-air haptic experiences: International Journal of Human-Computer Studies
Volume 168, December 2022

Recount of explosion and touching rubble until at the end a warm human arm
Recount of snow falling and heat jumping on hand feels almost too intense.
HaptX people mentioning how haptics will be used more on the market in the next few years.

Haptic feedback impacts gameplay in three major ways: heightened realism, tactile storytelling, and emotional engagement.
Heightened Realism By matching physical sensations to in-game actions, haptics make the gameplay feel authentic.
storytelling tool. In horror games, for example, subtle vibrations can increase tension, while sudden jolts heighten surprise and fear. The tactile cues enhance the emotional beats of the story, pulling players into the narrative. used in games to communicate feelings and environmental changes without relying on visuals alone.
Feeling the impact of in-game events increases emotional responses. In action-packed sequences, intense vibrations convey adrenaline, while gentle vibrations during calm moments create a relaxed atmosphere.

Haptics for Healing: SIGGRAPH Conferences | 20 May 2025

EmBelt, a groundbreaking SIGGRAPH 2024 project that merges haptic technology with immersive VR storytelling to simulate the emotional and physical sensations associated with eating disorders and body image concerns.

Haptic visuality describes how certain visual elements in movies can evoke a tactile sensation, allowing audiences to ‘feel’ the images rather than just see them.
techniques such as editing and camera movement can activate multiple senses, resulting in a more immersive and engaging viewing experience.

Shocking Grasps: An Archaeology of Electrotactile Game Mechanics: Game Studies the international journal of
computer game research

Short primitives: Primitives with short duration, usually less than 20 ms. These are CLICK, TICK and LOW_TICK.
Chirp primitives: Primitives with varying amplitude and frequency, usually with a longer duration than short primitives. These are SLOW_RISE, QUICK_RISE, QUCK_FALL, THUD, and SPIN.