Lateral Touch and Frictional Vibrations of Human Fingerprints

In this report, we experimentally show that human fingerprints play a significant role in the lateral touch vibratory mechanisms and that direction of movement results in differ-ent dynamic strains on the pulp. Sources that generate sound at the interface are first empiri-cally identified and a spherical model of the index finger is proposed to forecast the radiated fields. Then, haptic sounds are recorded using a miniature microphone placed in the near field. Results are compared with vibrometric measurements carried out in quite similar conditions to assess of the results relevance. Results show that fingerprints can?t be neglected in the tri-bologic interaction. Finally, this research provide a useful information for tactile displays de-signers and offers future investigations perspectives in many research fields linked with the haptic science.