Designing a transmodal technology to feel sound through touch: The multichannel vibrotactile gloves

The development of devices for transmitting sounds through touch is motivated by needs coming from diverse disciplines. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals could benefit from vibrations to perceive acoustic information that they do not perceive via the auditory modality or in order to overcome the limitations of existing hearing technologies. Additionally, adding tactile cues can be useful for all in contexts where the acoustic information perceived by the auditory system is limited due to sounds coming from multiple sources or noise. Furthermore, the potential sensory augmentation provided by the technology is also interesting in an entertainment context in order to offer immersive experiences. A transdisciplinary approach based on a framework recently developed in our laboratory was used to design this new technology that enables the transmission of acoustic signals through touch. Validation experiments were carried out via electro-acoustic measurements as well as behavioural measurements in human subjects (n = 5). Electro-acoustic and behavioural measures support that the system provides uniform stimulation across hands and actuators. Moreover, the frequency response curve as well as the summation effect measured via behavioural threshold measurements support that the tactile receptors are accurately stimulated by the devices. The multichannel vibrotactile gloves offer the flexibility to transmit diverse acoustic features to individual actuators, making them a valuable tool for research and a prospective technology capable of substituting, compensating or extending sensory perception.