ThermalBitDisplay: Haptic Display Providing Thermal Feedback Perceived Differently Depending on Body Parts

Abstract

We propose ThermalBitDisplay, which is a haptic display with tiny Peltier devices providing thermal feedback perceived differently depending on the parts of the body touching them. We focus on the different thresholds of thermal sensitivity of body parts and the spatial summation of thermal perception. Utilizing these characteristics with ThermalBitDisplay, for example, enables providing thermal feedback perceived only on the lips, not on other parts of the body. New interactions using thermal feedback will have several usages for notifications, communication, alerts, and entertainment. We conducted user studies with 12 participants and demonstrations with more than 200 participants to validate the feasibility of ThermalBitDisplay and got feedback from them to improve our prototype.