Sensory-substitution devices enable perceiving objects by translating one modality (e.g., vision) into another (e.g., tactile). While many explored the placement of the haptic-output (e.g., torso, forehead), the camera's location remains largely unexplored—typically seeing from the eyes’ perspective. Instead, we propose that seeing & feeling information from the hands’ perspective could enhance flexibility & expressivity of sensory-substitution devices to support manual interactions with physical objects. To this end, we engineered a back-of-the-hand electrotactile-display that renders tactile images from a wrist-mounted camera, allowing the user's hand to feel objects while reaching & hovering. We conducted a study with sighted/Blind-or-Low-Vision participants who used our eyes vs. hand tactile-perspectives to manipulate bottles and soldering-irons, etc. We found that while both tactile perspectives provided comparable performance, when offered the opportunity to choose, all participants found value in also using the hands’ perspective. Moreover, we observed behaviors when “seeing with the hands” that suggest a more ergonomic object-manipulation. We believe these insights extend the landscape of sensory-substitution devices.

This paper presents TacTex, a textile-based interface that provides high-resolution haptic feedback and touch-tracking capabilities. TacTex utilizes electrotactile stimulation, which has traditionally posed challenges due to limitations in textile electrode density and quantity. TacTex overcomes these challenges by employing a multi-layer woven structure that separates conductive weft and warp electrodes with non-conductive yarns. The driving system for TacTex includes a power supply, sensing board, and switch boards to enable spatial and temporal control of electrical stimuli on the textile, while simultaneously monitoring voltage changes. TacTex can stimulate a wide range of haptic effects, including static and dynamic patterns and different sensation qualities, with a resolution of 512 × 512 and based on linear electrodes spaced as closely as 2mm. We evaluate the performance of the interface with user studies and demonstrate the potential applications of TacTex interfaces in everyday textiles for adding haptic feedback.