Evaluation of Haptic Textures for Tangible Interfaces for the Tactile Internet

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

- The introduction is well written; however, it does not include the importance of this study and how it differs from the research performed earlier. 

- Figure 1: Kindly add a high-resolution figure. The figure pixelates on Zoom, and it is difficult to differentiate from Patterns 4 -9. 

- Explain the reason for selecting these nine patterns. 

- Figure 8, Remove the space, i.e., Rate 1 -> Rate1  for all three rates. 

- Figure 2 and Figure 7, remove the sentence "This is a figure"

 

Author Response

Comment

- The introduction is well written; however, it does not include the importance of this study and how it differs from the research performed earlier. 

Response

We updated the section "1. Introduction". We further explained the importance of the study and how it differs from other similar research projects. In addition, we referred more clearly to the main idea and the future impact of our research. (line 69-90).

 

Comment

- Figure 1: Kindly add a high-resolution figure. The figure pixelates on Zoom, and it is difficult to differentiate from Patterns 4 -9.

Response

Thank you for your kind comment.

In the revised version of the paper, we replaced figure 1

 

Comment

- Explain the reason for selecting these nine patterns.

Response

Once again thank you for your time.

We tried to choose geometric shapes with the aim to be readable by touch. Some of the most common ones are

- The square which is easily recognizable because of its sharp straight lines and angles. (such as the pattern1 and pattern7)

- The circle which is identified by its absence of corners and continuous curve. (such as the pattern6)

- The triangle which is characterised by its three corners and straight lines. (such as the pattern8)

- The parallel and horizontal straight lines found in the natural world and easily identified by parallel and vertical movement of the fingers. (such as the pattern2  and pattern3)

- Points and Small Shapes  used to mark specific points or locations. Small shapes such as dots or asterisks can be used to provide information or to indicate important points. (such as the pattern4,pattern5  and  pattern9)

In addition, we have added relevant explanatory information in the section "3. Materials and Methods" (line 162-168 , line 177-202)  with the corresponding sources/citations.

Comment

- Figure 8, Remove the space, i.e., Rate 1 -> Rate1  for all three rates. 

- Figure 2 and Figure 7, remove the sentence "This is a figure"

Response

In the revised version of the paper, we remove the space for all three rates (Rate1,Rate2,Rate3) in the Figure 8. Also, we remove the sentence "This is a figure" in the Figure 2 and Figure 7.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript deals with an interesting topic related to enhancement of the Virtual Reality concept, by investingating haptic sense. However, in my opinion the paper needs improvements to be considered for the publication. I list my comments and suggestions below:

The authors stated that "the findings of the study aid visually impaired individuals in better understand their physical environment, using haptic devices in conjunction with the enhanced haptic textures". They performed the experiment with sighted people, so there is no proof about that. Moreover, how tactile internet should enhance blinded people understanding of physical environment? Shouldn't it be the virtual one?

The scope of the work description in the Introduction is missing.

Neither in the Introduction nor in the Related Work sections issues related to blind people have been mentioned. This way, the paper is difficult to read since it is not clear what the author are proposing.

How the nine patterns have been chosen?

The two blind users have been involved in the pilot test, then sighted users have been involved in the official test. The two groups have different capabilities due to their conditions. Why did the author decide to tune the test for sighted people with considerations provided by blind people?

Minor remarks:

"The chosen model is a 130 rectangular shape with dimensions 0,5 x 0,5 x 0,2". No measurement units?

Figures quality is too poor. Consider to use vectorial format to store the images.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Moderate editing of English language required

Author Response

Comment

The authors stated that "the findings of the study aid visually impaired individuals in better understand their physical environment, using haptic devices in conjunction with the enhanced haptic textures". They performed the experiment with sighted people, so there is no proof about that. Moreover, how tactile internet should enhance blinded people understanding of physical environment? Shouldn't it be the virtual one?

Response

Thank you very much for your kind comments.

We appreciate your help in improving the quality of the paper.

A haptic feedback application for the blind can enhance their interaction with the physical environment. By using haptic vibrations to convey information about objects, distances, and textures, blind users can gain a better sense of their surroundings and identify or avoid obstacles. These applications also aid in adapting to new or changing conditions and improving movement coordination. Overall, they boost users' confidence and independence in their daily lives.

We have updated the section "1. Introduction". We further explained how a haptic feedback application for blind people, designed for interaction and understanding of the virtual environment, can have many positive effects on blind people's interaction with objects in the physical world. (line 53-68).

Comment

 

The scope of the work description in the Introduction is missing.

Neither in the Introduction nor in the Related Work sections issues related to blind people have been mentioned. This way, the paper is difficult to read since it is not clear what the author are proposing.

Response

Thank you for your kind comment.

We updated the section "1. Introduction". We further explained the importance of the study and how it differs from other similar research projects. In addition, we referred more clearly to the main idea and the future impact of our research. (line 69-90).

Comment

How the nine patterns have been chosen?

Response

Thank you for your kind comment.

We tried to choose geometric shapes with the aim to be readable by touch. Some of the most common ones are

- The square which is easily recognizable because of its sharp straight lines and angles. (such as the pattern1 and pattern7)

- The circle which is identified by its absence of corners and continuous curve. (such as the pattern6)

- The triangle which is characterised by its three corners and straight lines. (such as the pattern8)

- The parallel and horizontal straight lines found in the natural world and easily identified by parallel and vertical movement of the fingers. (such as the pattern2  and pattern3)

- Points and Small Shapes  used to mark specific points or locations. Small shapes such as dots or asterisks can be used to provide information or to indicate important points. (such as the pattern4,pattern5  and  pattern9)

In addition, we have added relevant explanatory information in the section "3. Materials and Methods" (line 162-168 , line 177-202)  with the corresponding sources/citations.

 

Comment

The two blind users have been involved in the pilot test, then sighted users have been involved in the official test. The two groups have different capabilities due to their conditions. Why did the author decide to tune the test for sighted people with considerations provided by blind people?

Response

Once again thank you for your time.

 

The use of sighted users in pilot tests of an application for blind people may seem contradictory, but there are several benefits to it. Sighted users provide valuable feedback on the usability and overall experience of the application. Their feedback can identify issues that may not be obvious to blind users, such as incorrect information or navigation difficulties that could affect the application's effectiveness. This allows designers to address the problems in a timely manner. Sighted users' ability to see the structure and design of the application can provide useful insights into its internal coherence and understanding of its features, which can influence the design ultimately used by blind users. Sometimes, applications designed for blind users may need to be compatible with other technologies or devices. Sighted users can help confirm this compatibility. Additionally, involving sighted users can also help create awareness and understanding of accessibility and the needs of blind individuals, both for designers and for other users who may interact with the application.

In addition, we have added relevant explanatory information in section "4. Experimental design" (line 282-294) with the corresponding sources/citations, we trying to explain our choice

Minor remarks:

Comment

"The chosen model is a 130 rectangular shape with dimensions 0,5 x 0,5 x 0,2". No measurement units?

Response

Thank you for your kind comment.

In the revised version of the document, we have added the necessary units for the 3D model

Comment

Figures quality is too poor. Consider to use vectorial format to store the images.

Response

Thank you for your kind comment.

In the revised version of the article, we have replaced some figures, especially figure1

Comment

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Moderate editing of English language required

Response

Dear reviewer, thank you for your comment.

In the updated version of the paper, we improved the English writing of the paper with the help of a native speaker.

Once again thank you for your time.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear Authors

The study of tactile interaction is, as you rightly noticed, very complicated, which actually results from human nature and the functioning of their senses. In a fully able-bodied person, the senses complement each other when perceiving objects, and then there is also individual experience, and the final perception, i.e. information from our senses, is ultimately "combined" in the brain, where the reception of all features of the object is created. In a person with sensory dysfunctions, this process is disrupted (this also results from the described experiment with blind people) and some senses take over the dominant role, thus disrupting the perception of real objects. From this point of view, I consider the presented research to be purposeful, necessary and interesting, aimed at developing and building new solutions (hardware and software) for enriching information about objects (surface texture, etc.).

The distinguishing and valuable feature of the publication is the development, conduct and presentation of experimental research.

I consider the abstract and keywords to be correct, reflecting the main content of the publication.

I consider the layout and division of the content correct, as well as the discussion and conclusions (chapters 6 and 7) correctly formulated, along with the plan for further research.

The literature was correctly selected, reflecting the current state of knowledge in this area.

Observations (suggestions for additions):

- the purpose of the conducted research should clearly result from the conducted analysis of the literature and current achievements in this area. It is true that it is mentioned in the summary, but only one sentence (line 20)

- line 131, can units be assigned for this 3D model?

- in the experiment, was the pattern scaled, were the haptic attributes also changed (rescaled) (lines 165-166) and why were such values ​​chosen?

- I propose to present the steps, stages of the experimental research in the form of a diagram, the description is a bit confusing.

- I propose to reduce the presentation of the results from the conducted experiments either to a table of results or to a figure (currently, e.g. Figure 5 - Table 1 - Figure 6 or Figure 8 - Table 2, where there is so-called content duplication - the same results are presented in different forms and this does not contribute anything) - I believe that one form should be adopted.

Good luck in further research!

Author Response

Comment

- the purpose of the conducted research should clearly result from the conducted analysis of the literature and current achievements in this area. It is true that it is mentioned in the summary, but only one sentence (line 20)

Dear reviewer,

Thank you very much for kind comments and for your effort in improving the quality of our paper.

In the revised version of the document, we have added a new paragraph in the "introduction" section that goes into more detail about the objectives of the research. (line 69-90)

Comment

- line 131, can units be assigned for this 3D model?

Response

Thank you for your kind comment.

In the revised version of the document, we have added the necessary units for the 3D model

Comment

- in the experiment, was the pattern scaled, were the haptic attributes also changed (rescaled) (lines 165-166) and why were such values chosen?

Response

Thank you for your kind comment.

These values were derived from a series of tests in the laboratory for optimal haptic feedback. In the revised version of the document, we added a more explanatory analysis in the section   “3. Materials and Methods” . (especially line 234-239)

Comment

- I propose to present the steps, stages of the experimental research in the form of a diagram, the description is a bit confusing.

Response

Thank you for your kind comment.

In the revised version of the document, we have added a diagram describing the steps of the experimental procedure (line 330-339)

Comment

- I propose to reduce the presentation of the results from the conducted experiments either to a table of results or to a figure (currently, e.g. Figure 5 - Table 1 - Figure 6 or Figure 8 - Table 2, where there is so-called content duplication - the same results are presented in different forms and this does not contribute anything) - I believe that one form should be adopted.

Response

Once again thank you for your time.

Section 5 is divided into two sections. The analysis of experiment results and the analysis of results from the evaluation form answered by users after the interaction experience

We have deleted figure 6 from the section, since the results of the interaction time are shown in table1 , as you rightly point out.

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This submitted work validated the enhancement to the 3D graphics files to prove the ability to recognize and identify haptic geometric patterns. Experiments and interactions were conducted to validate the different haptic textures, future work is also proposed to improve the specific textures in terms of design and haptic characteristics. Overall, the manuscript is in good quality, and it should meet the acceptance criteria after the comments below are properly addressed.

1.    The last paragraph of introduction section should be revised to clearly illustrate the novelty of this work; the current form provides extensive background discussions in the field, but more detailed summary of this work should be clearly described.

2.    More details should be added for how the different patterns and textures are designed and implemented in the virtual space; a brief description of those parameters used in the haptics system is not enough. For now, the manuscript is more concentrated on the experiment part, but the technical part lacks details.

3.    The experiment video should be provided to show the interactions between participants and the virtual space and how various textures differ on the haptics device stylus outputs.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required.

Author Response

Comment

1.The last paragraph of introduction section should be revised to clearly illustrate the novelty of this work; the current form provides extensive background discussions in the field, but more detailed summary of this work should be clearly described.

Response

Dear reviewer,

Thank you very much for kind comments and for your effort in improving the quality of our paper.

We updated the section "1. Introduction". We further explained the importance of the study and how it differs from other similar research projects. In addition, we referred more clearly to the main idea and the future impact of our research. (line 69-90).

Comment

2.More details should be added for how the different patterns and textures are designed and implemented in the virtual space; a brief description of those parameters used in the haptics system is not enough. For now, the manuscript is more concentrated on the experiment part, but the technical part lacks details.

Response

Thank you for your kind comment.

We have added relevant explanatory information in the section "3. Materials and Methods"  for how the different patterns and textures are designed and implemented in the virtual space , together with the corresponding sources/citations.

Comment

3. The experiment video should be provided to show the interactions between participants and the virtual space and how various textures differ on the haptics device stylus outputs.

Response

Once again thank you for your time.

For privacy reasons we decided not to distribute the video of the experiment. The text provides several insights from the participants' reactions and comments during the interaction.

Comment

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required.

Response

Dear reviewer, thank you for your comment.

In the updated version of the paper, we improved the English writing of the paper with the help of a native speaker.

Once again thank you for your time.

Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Authors have addressed all my comments and suggestions.

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thanks for the revision. All my comments are addressed.