Marionette: a multi-finger tilt feedback device for curvatures and haptic images perception

Marionette is a haptic device designed to explore touch perception limits between real and device induced shapes. Its novelty resides in the support for 2D exploration over a flat surface and multi-finger capabilities. Marionette is able to apply inclination to four fingers with two degrees of freedom while the user moves the device as if it were a mouse. The device is aimed at enabling a new set of haptic user studies. Preliminary results suggest that the limit of curvature perception in 2D curves is mainly determined by the inclination information while touching with both one and four fingers. Additionally, Marionette supports haptic images such as maps, time changing functions and haptically enhanced telepresence.