Opal-ring summary of Research Proving Tools for Comfort Based on Human Measurements Taken from an Engineering Perspective

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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.

Advantages

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