title: Form perception with a 49-point electrotactile stimulus array on the tongue: a technical note.
abstract: Form perception with the tongue was studied with a 49-point electrotactile array. Five sighted adult human subjects (3M/2F) each received 4 blocks of 12 tactile patterns, approximations of circles, squares, and vertex-up equilateral triangles, sized to 4x4, 5x5, 6x6, and 7x7 electrode arrays. Perception with electrical stimulation of the tongue is better than with fingertip electrotactile stimulation, and the tongue requires 3% (5-15 V) of the voltage. The mean current for tongue subjects was 1.612 mA. Tongue shape recognition performance across all sizes was 79.8%. The approximate dimensions of the electrotactile array and the dimensions of compartments built into dental retainers have been determined. The goal is to develop a practical, cosmetically acceptable, wireless system for blind persons, with a miniature TV camera, microelectronics, and FM transmitter built into a pair of glasses, and the electrotactile array in a dental orthodontic retainer.
authors.affiliation: Center for Neuroscience and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706, USA. pbachyri@facstaff.wisc.edu
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bach-y-Rita
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kaczmarek
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Tyler
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garcia-Lara
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001766:Blindness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005385:Fingers / Q000502:physiology; D005556:Form Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D012656:Self-Help Devices / Q000592:standards*; D014059:Tongue / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch