Brief
Temperature and the Perception of Human-Like Touch in Prosthetic Fingers
Description
The goal of this study is to understand how the temperature of a prosthetic finger influences the way people perceive its touch as natural or human-like. When we interact with others, the warmth of the skin plays an important role in how we recognize and respond to human contact. Reproducing this sensation could make future prosthetic devices feel more lifelike and improve the quality of interaction for users.
By studying how people respond to different finger temperatures, we aim to identify which levels of warmth make artificial touch feel most natural. The results will help researchers design next-generation prosthetic hands that not only move like a human hand but also feel human to the touch.
At TNE we have already collected data from 30 non-amputated participants (mainly students in the lab). This rather homogenous group was not sufficient to see whether group difference existed. Instead, our goal in the current project is to collect data from a larger more heterogenous group covering a larger age range.
The data collection will be done during a Scientific Fair.
Objectives:
- Develop an experimental setup that is easy to deploy and visually appealing, integrated the existing mini-touch system.
- Design an interface for the questionnaire
- Collect data during 2 scientific fairs
- Analysis and interpretation
Type of Project
Semester project
Organization
30% development, 50% experimentation, 20% analysis
Expected start and end date
After June 2026
Contact
Prof. Solaiman Shokur