Development of a simultaneous vibration and pressure stimulation system for cognitive studies

Abstract

In this study, a tactile stimulator that could separately or simultaneously display the vibrotactile and pressure sense was developed. The developed system consisted of a control unit, a drive unit, and an actuator, and can be operated with PC or manually. This system quantitatively controls the stimulation parameters such as the stimulation intensity, duration, frequency, and stimulation type. A preliminary electroencephalogram (EEG) experiment for three types of stimulation (vibrotactile, pressure sense, vibrotactile + pressure sense) highlights that the system could be used in complex tactile cognitive studies. An event-related desynchronization (ERD) and synchronization (ERS) were measured at the area of C3 and C4 for all three types of stimulation, and a clear response was identified in the contralateral somatosensory area from the brain topology. Therefore, it is expected that this system could be widely used in single and complex human tactile cognition and perception studies for vibrotactile and pressure sensation.