Softness Perception Interfered by Friction in Gliding Virtual Surfaces

Recent studies have shown that surface friction affects softness perception when objects are slid over using fingers. This study examines whether this phenomenon extends to interactions with virtual objects using a stylus-based haptic interface, which independently controls friction and object stiff...

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Main Authors: Hongbo Wang, Shogo Okamoto
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
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Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11104101/
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author Hongbo Wang
Shogo Okamoto
author_facet Hongbo Wang
Shogo Okamoto
author_sort Hongbo Wang
collection DOAJ
description Recent studies have shown that surface friction affects softness perception when objects are slid over using fingers. This study examines whether this phenomenon extends to interactions with virtual objects using a stylus-based haptic interface, which independently controls friction and object stiffness. In Experiment 1, we investigated how kinematic friction coefficients influence perceived stiffness. Results showed that surfaces with minimal friction (coefficient =0) were perceived as stiffer than those with higher friction (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\geq 0.2$ </tex-math></inline-formula>). For instance, a surface with a stiffness of 500 N/m at minimal friction was perceived as equivalent to 581.7 N/m at a friction coefficient of 0.4. However, the perceived stiffness was not different under frictional conditions, with coefficients ranging from 0.2 to 0.6. Experiment 2 evaluated participants&#x2019; ability to discriminate stiffness levels (400 N/m vs. 500 N/m and 500 N/m vs. 600 N/m) under three friction conditions (0, 0.25, and 0.5). Discrimination accuracy declined with increasing friction. These findings provide valuable insights for designing haptic interfaces and virtual reality applications, enabling developers to optimize user experiences by accounting for the interplay between friction and perceived softness.
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spelling doaj-art-97663bbc3d824e2fa7da38bf746a473a2025-08-20T03:41:26ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-011313927513928310.1109/ACCESS.2025.359424011104101Softness Perception Interfered by Friction in Gliding Virtual SurfacesHongbo Wang0Shogo Okamoto1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2116-7734Department of Computer Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hino Campus, Tokyo, JapanDepartment of Computer Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hino Campus, Tokyo, JapanRecent studies have shown that surface friction affects softness perception when objects are slid over using fingers. This study examines whether this phenomenon extends to interactions with virtual objects using a stylus-based haptic interface, which independently controls friction and object stiffness. In Experiment 1, we investigated how kinematic friction coefficients influence perceived stiffness. Results showed that surfaces with minimal friction (coefficient =0) were perceived as stiffer than those with higher friction (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\geq 0.2$ </tex-math></inline-formula>). For instance, a surface with a stiffness of 500 N/m at minimal friction was perceived as equivalent to 581.7 N/m at a friction coefficient of 0.4. However, the perceived stiffness was not different under frictional conditions, with coefficients ranging from 0.2 to 0.6. Experiment 2 evaluated participants&#x2019; ability to discriminate stiffness levels (400 N/m vs. 500 N/m and 500 N/m vs. 600 N/m) under three friction conditions (0, 0.25, and 0.5). Discrimination accuracy declined with increasing friction. These findings provide valuable insights for designing haptic interfaces and virtual reality applications, enabling developers to optimize user experiences by accounting for the interplay between friction and perceived softness.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11104101/Styluskinetic frictionsoftnessstiffnessslidinggliding
spellingShingle Hongbo Wang
Shogo Okamoto
Softness Perception Interfered by Friction in Gliding Virtual Surfaces
IEEE Access
Stylus
kinetic friction
softness
stiffness
sliding
gliding
title Softness Perception Interfered by Friction in Gliding Virtual Surfaces
title_full Softness Perception Interfered by Friction in Gliding Virtual Surfaces
title_fullStr Softness Perception Interfered by Friction in Gliding Virtual Surfaces
title_full_unstemmed Softness Perception Interfered by Friction in Gliding Virtual Surfaces
title_short Softness Perception Interfered by Friction in Gliding Virtual Surfaces
title_sort softness perception interfered by friction in gliding virtual surfaces
topic Stylus
kinetic friction
softness
stiffness
sliding
gliding
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11104101/
work_keys_str_mv AT hongbowang softnessperceptioninterferedbyfrictioninglidingvirtualsurfaces
AT shogookamoto softnessperceptioninterferedbyfrictioninglidingvirtualsurfaces