ABSTRACT
Based on the background ofeco-engineering, machinery investment is shifting from "replacement," which means introducing new machinery, to "rebuilding," which means changing software and adding human-machine interfaces such as touch screens to expand the functions of machinery used in many fields. Although conventionally the usability of such touch-screen-type control panels has mainly been improved by improving graphical user interface (GUI) designs, this method is not always effective, depending on work environment, task characteristics, and so on. In this study, we propose adding tactile feature to conventional visual and auditory interactions, as a new option for making touch operations in industrial fields more comfortable, and we examine their applicability. The results of the experiment, which involved operating the touch-screen-type control panel with tactile feedback from a standing position similar to that of the industrial fields, show the following: 1) the errors caused by insufficient pressure of a finger and deviation in pointing can be improved by adaptively changing the finger motions through tactile stimulus, and 2) such errors come to be easily noticed and corrected by changing tactile feedback according to the touched point.
