Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/G014108/1
Title:	Identification and modelling of tactile channels mediating the perception of supra-threshold vibration at the hand
Principal Investigator:	Morioka, Dr M
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department:	Faculty of Engineering & the Environment
Organisation:	University of Southampton
Scheme:	First Grant Scheme
Starts:	16 March 2009	Ends:	15 August 2012	Value (£):	136,993
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Vision & Senses - ICT appl.
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Healthcare
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 17 Sep 2008 Engineering Socio-Technical Systems Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
The sense of touch is experienced by everyone, yet the mechanisms involved in tactile perception are not understood by anyone. Technological ingenuity has made life easy by replacing heavy manual work with powered tools and machines, but this has resulted in 'unwanted' vibration of the hand, causing injury (e.g. loss of tactile sensation due to vibration exposure), discomfort, annoyance, and fatigue. More than one million workers in the UK are estimated to be at risk of injury from hand-transmitted vibration (Palmer et al., 2000). Even so, some vibration can be made into 'wanted vibration', providing useful tactile feedback and assisting some tasks (e.g. vibration of mobile phones, vibration of steering wheels, vibration of guide canes). The optimum reduction of 'unwanted' vibration and the optimum production of 'wanted' vibration require an understanding of the sensations perceived in the human hand.There are four types of tactile channels responsible for the perception of mechanical stimuli in the non-hairy skin of the hand (i.e. P, NP I, NP II and NP III). These channels mediate sensations of vibration at threshold levels, with varying sensitivities and distinctive characteristics. The question is: How do these tactile channels combine to contribute to the sensations produced by vibration (such as varying degrees of discomfort, and the perception of changes in intensity)? The proposed research seeks to identify and model the tactile channels that are responsible for the sensation of supra-threshold vibration at the hand (i.e. vibration at magnitudes greater than the threshold of perception). A series of psychophysical studies will yield the response of an individual tactile channel to vibration stimuli while masking the response of another channel. The proposed multi-disciplinary research builds on recently acquired knowledge and techniques developed by the principal investigator (see, Morioka and Griffin, 2005a; 2005b; 2006a; 2006b).The effects on vibration perception of primary factors (i.e. vibration frequency, magnitude, direction and duration) and secondary factors (e.g. contact area, stimulus duration, skin temperature, stimulus gradient and age / all known to influence the sensitivity of tactile channels) will be examined to test specific hypotheses. The proposed project goes beyond the mere establishment of metrics for evaluating the subjective severity of vibration exposures. This research employs a unique approach to modelling tactile channels responsible for mediating the perception of supra-threshold vibration. The model will allow quantification of the subjective severity of vibration exposures by identifying the tactile channels responsible for perception in different skin-contact conditions. The model may also be used to identify the tactile channels that are likely to be damaged by occupational exposures to hand-transmitted vibration. The main applications of the research include: (i) predicting and reducing harmful vibration on tools and machines, and (ii) enhancing tactile feedback (and tactile communication) with appropriate artificial vibration. The major beneficiaries will be governments, health professions, industries, tool manufacturers, and employers who must consider minimising the discomfort and hazard caused by vibration. Consequently, the public will benefit from optimised hand-held tools and devices that provide them with an improved quality of life. The research will also have impact by advancing fundamental understanding of the tactile mechanisms. This fundamental research will benefit from the support of the EPSRC and has potential applications in areas where this is existing collaboration with industry.
Key Findings
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Potential use in non-academic contexts
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Impacts
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Organisation Website:	http://www.soton.ac.uk