Assignment of a Vibration to a Graphical Object Induced by Resonant Frequency.

This work aims to provide tactile feedback when touching elements on everyday surfaces using their resonant frequencies. We used a remote speaker to bring a thin wooden surface into vibration for providing haptic feedback when a small graphical fly glued on the board was touched. Participants assigned the vibration to the fly instead of the board it was glued on. We systematically explored when that assignment illusion works best. The results indicate that additional sound, as well as vibration, lasting as long as the touch, are essential factors for having an assignment of the haptic feedback to the touched graphical object. With this approach, we contribute to ubiquitous and calm computing by showing that resonant frequency can provide vibrotactile feedback for images on thin everyday surfaces using only a minimum of hardware.