DECODING AND ENCODING OF TACTILE MECHANORECEPTOR SELECTIVE NEURAL SPIKE FIRING SIGNALS FOR THE GENERATION OF VIRTUAL PRESSURE SENSATION USING SINE WAVE PULSE MICRO-DISPLACEMENT STIMULATION

It is necessary to develop a technology that can feel pressure, vibration, and texture for easy-to-wear accessories such as finger rings or gloves when using a touch screen display or smart glasses. A study was conducted on a technology that allows selective neural spike firing to occur for each tactile mechanoreceptor on the skin using sine wave pulse micro-displacement stimulation to feel a virtual pressure. An electrophysiological study was conducted to measure the neural spike firing pattern of each receptor for sine wave pulses. Peripheral nerve signals in mice 8~10 weeks old were measured while applying sine wave frequency stimulation of 10~200 Hz using a piezoelectric element-based micro-displacement stimulator and force stimulation of 10-50 mN using a solenoid stimulator. Neural spike firing patterns with frequency and intensity of sine wave pulse micro-displacement stimulation were measured and analyzed in SA (Slowly Adaptive) and RA (Rapidly Adaptive) tactile mechanoreceptor single nerve isolated from the hind paw saphenous nerves of mice. Based on an exponential attenuation firing rate decoding model of SA neural firing that appears when pressure stimulation is applied, we appropriately adjusted the frequency and intensity of the sine wave pulses to confirm the possibility of SA and RA neural firing similar to pressure stimulation. And we use these principles to develop a micro-displacement stimulation encoding model that responds to the various intensities of pressure stimulation.