Tactile sensory substitution: Models for enaction in HCl

To apply enactive principles within human-computer interaction poses interesting challenges to the way that we design and evaluate interfaces, particularly those that possess a strong sensorimotor character. This article Surveys the field of tactile sensory substitution, an area of science and engineering that lies at the interaction of Such research domains as neuroiscience, haptics, and sensory prosthetics. It is argued that this area of research is of high relevance to the design and understanding of enactive interfaces that make use Of touch, and is also a fertile arena for revealing fundamental issues at stake in the design and implementation of enactive interfaces, ranging from engineering, to human sensory physiology, and the function and plasticity of perception. A Survey of those questions is provided, alongside a range of current and historical examples. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.