Open AccessInitial contact shapes the perception of friction
Author(s) -
Laurence Willemet,
Khoubeib Kanzari,
Jocelyn Monnoyer,
Ingvars Birznieks,
Michaël Wiertlewski
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2109109118
Subject(s) - perception , lift (data mining) , tactile perception , mechanism (biology) , computer science , psychology , physics , neuroscience , quantum mechanics , data mining
Significance Humans have the remarkable ability to manipulate a large variety of objects, regardless of how fragile, heavy, or slippery they are. To correctly scale the grip forces, the nervous system gauges the slipperiness of the surface. This information is present at the instant we first touch an object, even before any lateral force develops. However, how friction could be estimated without slippage only from the fingertip skin deformation is not understood, either in neuroscience or engineering disciplines. This study demonstrates that a radial tensile strain of the skin is involved in the perception of slipperiness during this initial contact. These findings can inform the design of advanced tactile sensors for robotics or prosthetics and for improving haptic human–machine interactions.