Tactile Perception of Skin and Skin Cream

Abstract

The tactile sense allows us to get the feeling of objects, and it is one of the most important sensations humans process. In this study, a characterization method for estimating the tactile sensation associated with skin cream was carried out. Four characteristic features, spectral centroid (SC), vertical deviations (R), adhesive force (F a), and coefficient of friction (μ), are extracted and used to characterize the tactile perception. The influences of skin cream, film thickness, humidity, and temperature on the tactile perception of skin were studied. It is found that the features are consistent with human tactile sensing and could characterize the tactile perception accurately. After applied skin cream, SC, F a, and μ increase and R decreases, which correspond to a fine, greasy, sticky, and smooth perception. With the increase in cream film thickness, SC and F a increase and R decreases, which correspond to an increase in fine, greasy, and smooth perception. μ and the perceived slipperiness show different tendency when the film thickness is above 3 μm. Humidity and temperature influence the tactile perception of skin. Humidity has the similar function with skin cream. The influence of humidity on tactile perception of cream-treated skin is more obvious than on virgin skin. The related mechanisms were discussed.