The haptic sense captures information arising from the somatosensory system─the sensor system of the body excluding the eyes, ears, nose, and tongue. That is, it captures stimuli arising from the skin (i.e., touch) and from internal structures (i.e., the musculoskeletal system and internal organs). The field of research called haptics is concerned with understanding and manipulating this sense, often using engineered technology, and usually for creating novel or realistic touch sensations. Fundamental to every tactile interaction is an interface between the skin and a material. Given that essentially all material objects are composed of or covered in organic media, we reasoned that we, as organic materials scientists, might be able to contribute to the understanding of the sense of touch by manipulating material properties on the molecular scale. Over time, our research group acquired additional skills in electrical engineering and developed strong collaborations with cognitive and behavioral scientists. With a shared curiosity about the sense of touch, we made what we believe are original contributions to the field of haptics.

中文翻译：

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使用材料科学来理解触觉感知


触觉捕捉来自体感系统的信息——体感系统是身体的传感器系统，不包括眼睛、耳朵、鼻子和舌头。也就是说，它捕获来自皮肤（即触觉）和内部结构（即肌肉骨骼系统和内部器官）的刺激。称为触觉反馈的研究领域涉及理解和操纵这种感觉，通常使用工程技术，通常用于创造新颖或逼真的触觉。每一次触觉交互的基础是皮肤和材料之间的界面。鉴于基本上所有物质物体都由有机介质组成或覆盖在有机介质中，我们推断，作为有机材料科学家，我们可能能够通过在分子尺度上操纵材料特性来为理解触觉做出贡献。随着时间的推移，我们的研究小组获得了电气工程方面的更多技能，并与认知和行为科学家建立了牢固的合作关系。怀着对触觉的共同好奇心，我们为触觉反馈领域做出了我们认为是原创性的贡献。