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OPAL-RING
Summary of Research
Proving Tools for Comfort Based on Human Measurements Taken
from an Engineering Perspective
The goal at our laboratory is to take measurements of the living human body from
an engineering perspective and to apply the knowledge gained to develop tools that
make life more comfortable and convenient. The technologies for extracting char-
acteristic perturbations from various data such as changes in brain waves, muscle
potential, changes in center of gravity, and skin surface temperature form the founda-
tions of our research.
Developing a Tactile Display That Harnesses Sensory Illusions
One research theme we are currently pursuing through biometrics is the development
of a tactile display. In the past, tactile displays enjoyed a limited range of applications,
such as braille displays for the visually impaired. Tactile displays that can relay infor-
mation to users transparently without occupying their visual sense should prove just
as beneficial to those with normal vision as they are to the visually impaired.
A braille display consists of large numbers of piezoelectric elements. A much simpler
system would be preferable as tools for everyday life. We have chosen to harness the
phenomenon of sensory illusion in our sense of touch to relay as much information as
possible using only three vibrating elements. One example of visual sensory illusion is
apparent movement, experienced when we are tricked into perceiving movement in a
very fast slideshow of still images. A similar phenomenon of apparent movement ap-
plies to tactile perception.
We can use another sensory illusion called phantom sensation to create the apparent
sensation of a third vibrating element between two vibrating elements. Combining the
phantom sensation with apparent movement, we found that three vibrating elements
were sufficient to pro-
duce a tactile sensation
of direction that could be
discerned with an angular
precision of 18°.
A Safe Personal
Authentication System
Based on Vibration
Stimulus
We are developing a
personal authentication
system as tactile display
t e c h n o l o g y w h e re b y
passwords would con-
sist of a combination of
specific vibration pat-
terns perceptible only by
the person in question.
Passwords based on
vibrational tactile sensa-
tions promise greater se-
curity than the passwords
based on numbers or
characters used in most
authentication systems,
which can be stolen as
they are entered.
Enriching human life through biometrics
Masafumi UCHIDA
Laboratory
Masafumi UCHIDA
http://ulab.ee.uec.ac.jp/2010/
Tactile display; biometrics; apparent
movement; 1/f fluctuations; P300 wave;
prevention; robotic balloon fish
Affiliations
Institute of Electrical Engineers of
Japan; Robotics Society of Japan;
Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Member
Masafumi Uchida, Associate
professor
Keywords
Robotic balloon fish
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OPAL-RING
Quantitative Recognition of Hand-Written Characters
We are also seeking to produce technologies based on bio-
metrics to enhance the recognition precision of hand-written
characters. By creating a database of biometric changes in
brain waves and muscle potentials observed as people write
text, especially those observed when specific changes occur
in the character of text being written, we hope to quantify indi-
vidual characteristics and improve the precision of handwriting
recognition.
It has also been found that handwriting is closely associated
with the sense of rhythm. For example, a 1/f fluctuation can be
induced in a subject by providing appropriate auditory stimulus,
making writing motions smoother and easier. Data obtained
from analysis of handwritten characters may allow quantifica-
tion of stress or fatigue, with potential applications in rehabilita-
tion programs.
Know-How for Extracting Characteristic Changes
from Massive Volumes of Biometric Data
A wide range of information can be collected through biomet-
rics. We know that a stimulus elicits P300 brain waves. We
have shown that a subject’s body exhibits characteristic pertur-
bations and muscle potential changes in response to specific
tactile stimulus. One of our greatest advantages is our exper-
tise with comprehensive analyses of the biological and physi-
ological reactions extracted from massive volumes of biometric
data.
Robotic balloon fish
We are also at work on developing a robotic balloon fish, al-
though this is not a direct application of our technologies re-
lated to biometrics. The robot, which moves forward by moving
its fins like a real fish, has been discussed in various media and
awarded the special prize three times in the All Japan Student’s
Indoor Flying Robot Contest. We plan to incorporate more so-
phisticated swimming motions to create schools of fish, even-
tually opening a floating aquarium.
The robot technology can be integrated with our biometric
technologies to realize robots capable of interacting with
humans.
Future Prospects
A Navigation System with Access to the
Subconscious
Our experiments with tactile displays show that subjects tend
to subconsciously move their bodies when subjected to vibra-
tional stimulus. When a subject is made to perceive downward
apparent movement through a vibrating element attached to his
or her fingertip, the hand tends to move downward, even if the
subject consciously tries to maintain the position of the hand.
Such phenomenon may have potential applications to unique
automatic navigation systems, wherein a vibrating element
worn by the user not only indicates the correct direction, but
gently tugs the user in that direction through a subconscious
mechanism.
This ability to send information to the subconscious poses sig-
nificant potential. It may have applications that enhance safety
through a device that warns users of impending obstacles via
vibrational stimuli, attracting the attention of the subconscious
mind to prevent accidents even before the user consciously
perceives a hazard.
Measuring perturbation and electromyogram (EMG) observed in response to a specific
tactile stimulus administered to a subject
Eliciting P300 waves in response to a specific stimulus
Modular robot
Infrastructure