Ultrasonic based tactile feedback design of a non-contact human-machine interface considering the user age

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Thomas Maier
• Subject Area: Human Factors, Ergonomics, Human-Machine Systems
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 500499494

The increasing use of new communication technologies such as gaze, gesture or voice control in the consumer goods sector as well as in the capital goods sector enables an ever higher degree of freedom of interaction between man and machine. At the same time, an increase in functions and audiovisual displays can be seen with a reduction in physical actuators. Due to their direct, intuitive manipulation capabilities and high interface flexibility, these technologies are gaining wide acceptance. However, one of the most basic human senses, haptic perception, is largely neglected in these technologies. This leads to an increase in operating complexity, which in turn results in an overload of the human ability to perceive and process information, especially in safety-relevant situations. One reason for this is that information of technical products is almost exclusively transmitted audiovisually, although other unused perception channels are available. In this research project, the haptic perception channel is to be investigated with regard to its relief potential, especially taking into account the user's age, as this has been largely ignored in age-related research to date. The loss of perception occurring with age as well as the decrease of cognitive and sensorimotor performance shall be compensated by tactile feedback via ultrasonic waves during hand gesture operation. On the basis of 6 work packages (WP), information content that is currently transferred exclusively audiovisually will first be analyzed and tactile coding possibilities for a tactile slider will be derived, taking into account the cognitive and sensorimotor aging processes. In the context of two subject studies (WP 2), basic parameters as well as tactile coding possibilities for information transfer via tactile feedback will be analyzed in two experimental groups (old and young). In the following synthesis phase (WP 3), the tactile coding parameters are clustered with regard to their support effect and assigned to operating scenarios. These operating scenarios are evaluated in a concluding study (WP 4) in the vehicle ergonomics test bench of the IKTD. The test persons perform the setting task once with purely visual feedback and once with supporting tactile feedback. In WP 5, design guidelines are derived and formulated, taking into account the study results and the sensory and cognitive characteristics of the test groups, in order to record them for developers and designers. In the last work package (WP 6), the research results will then be published at national and international conferences.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants