Spatial tactile feedback can enhance the realism of geometry exploration in virtual reality applications. Current vibrotactile approaches often face challenges with the spatial and temporal resolution needed to render different 3D geometries. Inspired by the natural deformation of finger pads when exploring 3D objects and surfaces, we propose TactDeform, a parametric approach to render spatio-temporal tactile patterns using a finger-worn electro-tactile interface. The system dynamically renders electro-tactile patterns based on both interaction contexts (approaching, contact, and sliding) and geometric contexts (geometric features and textures), emulating deformations that occur during real-world touch exploration. Results from a user study \rr{(N=24)} show that the proposed approach enabled high texture discrimination and geometric feature identification compared to a baseline. Informed by results from a free 3D-geometry exploration phase, we provide insights that can inform future tactile interface designs.

翻译：空间触觉反馈能够提升虚拟现实应用中几何探索的真实感。当前的振动触觉方法在渲染不同三维几何形状所需的空间和时间分辨率方面常常面临挑战。受探索三维物体和表面时指垫自然形变的启发，我们提出了TactDeform，一种使用指戴式电触觉接口渲染时空触觉模式的参数化方法。该系统基于交互情境（接近、接触和滑动）与几何情境（几何特征与纹理）动态渲染电触觉模式，模拟真实世界触摸探索过程中发生的形变。用户研究 \rr{(N=24)} 的结果表明，与基线方法相比，所提出的方法能够实现较高的纹理辨别能力和几何特征识别能力。基于自由三维几何探索阶段的结果，我们提出了可为未来触觉接口设计提供参考的见解。