Apparent Thermal Motion on the Forearm

The concept of Apparent Tactile Motion (ATM) has been extensively
studied in the field of haptics, allowing people to perceive a sense of dynamic
motion through tactile stimuli such as vibrations, tapping or mid-air stimuli.
However, there is a lack of research on whether a similar perception of motion
can be achieved using thermal stimuli. As prior research suggests that particularly
the stimuli onset asynchrony (SOA) of two stimuli is a significant contributor to
the perception of motion, in this study, we examine different SOAs between two
warm stimuli on the forearm in order to induce a sensation of motion. Our results
indicate that the sensation of motion can be achieved on the forearm with SOAs
close to the signal duration. We further found a negative correlation between
SOAs and the perception of speed and report findings of participants’ perceptions
of motion through drawings. With our study, we strengthen the understanding of
dynamic thermal feedback through apparent thermal motion that may lead to the
development of lighter and more sustainable wearable thermal devices.