HC#42 Haptics with Hong Tan, Lead Haptics Scientist at Google
Podcast Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5CnJRRgYiUEzgyaBkYFFho?si=297e027c958847c6
In this episode of the Haptics Club, we talk with Hong Z. Tan. Tan is a renowned haptics scientist at Google, known for her research on perception-based haptic interfaces. With a background in biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and MIT, respectively, Hong has also had extensive industry experience, including a stint at Microsoft Research Asia. She is a Fellow of IEEE for her contributions to wearable haptics and holds concurrent appointments at Purdue University in the fields of Electrical Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Psychological Sciences.
About Hong Tan
Hong Tan shared her journey into haptics, starting from an engineering background and being intrigued by how deaf and blind individuals use their hands for speech reception through a method called "Tadoma." Her initial intention was to develop aids for these individuals and extrapolate their abilities to create other assistive technologies.
Hong explained how she stumbled into haptics by chance, and it captivated her to the point that she decided to delve deeper into the field instead of pursuing other areas like acoustics. Over the years, she has honed her skills as a psycho-physicist, a combination of psychology and physics. This interdisciplinary approach allows her to build a mathematical bridge between engineering and perception, enabling the creation of engineering systems that align with human sensory-motor capabilities.
With 23 years of experience as a professor at Purdue University, Hong has increasingly become interested in making a tangible impact beyond academic publications. Her four-year tenure at Microsoft Research Asia provided her with valuable insights into areas she was previously unaware of, which she humorously referred to as a "total failure." Now, as the Lead Haptics Scientist at Google, she continues to learn and explore the potential of haptics, currently focusing on haptic technology for Pixel phones.
Through her journey, Hong's passion for haptics shines, and her dedication to both academia and practical applications is evident. Her unique perspective as a psycho-physicist and her collaborations with industry leaders position her at the forefront of haptic research, making her contributions invaluable to the field.
Key aspects when implementing haptics
Hong emphasizes the significance of understanding human detection and discrimination thresholds in haptic perception. These thresholds determine the minimum vibration perceivable by the skin and the smallest discernible difference between frequencies. They play a crucial role in engineering specifications and offer users a range of intensity levels and choices in haptic systems.
Furthermore, Hong explores the concept of information capacity in haptics and its impact on user experience. She highlights the potential to create diverse signals on devices like phones, watches, or vests, irrespective of the number of actuators used. Understanding parameters such as frequency, rhythm, duration, and body side is key to effectively transmitting information through haptics. By optimizing these variables, haptic technology can transcend basic alerts, enabling users to comprehend and remember the meaning behind different haptic signals.
Hong also presents an intriguing idea of integrating haptics with other sensory cues like visuals and sounds to enhance communication and memory. She suggests developing natural, easily understandable, and memorable haptic signals. This approach has the potential to revolutionize human-device interaction, offering a more intuitive and immersive user experience.
In summary, Hong Z. Tan's research focuses on the overlooked aspects of haptic perception, including detection and discrimination thresholds, as well as the information capacity of haptic interfaces. By optimizing these factors, haptic devices can provide users with a more meaningful and immersive sensory experience, where haptic signals convey nuanced information beyond simple notifications.
Unlocking the Power of Haptics: A Multidisciplinary Journey in Teaching and Collaboration
Hong Tan emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of haptics, acknowledging the challenges in teaching a comprehensive course on the subject. While she initially attempted to cover various aspects such as robotics, hardware, software, and computer graphics, she realized the need to tailor the teaching to the students' interests and strengths. One example she shares is collaborating with a design-focused student on the pump scape project. Through this collaboration, Hong learned about design approaches, while the student gained insights into the parameters of haptics and their effects on perception. This interaction highlights the importance of understanding perception and leveraging it to achieve specific design goals. Hong also mentions working with students strong in control, enabling them to render sharp textures like knife or sword blades by harnessing their expertise in hardware and software. Overall, Hong emphasizes the significance of seizing opportunities, leveraging existing knowledge, and aligning it with students' interests to explore the diverse applications of haptics.
Exploring User Experience, Standardization, and Hardware Advancements
Hong Z. Tan emphasizes the evolving nature of haptics and the potential for new discoveries. She acknowledges that there is much we still don't know, and she relies heavily on user experience research to identify opportunities. One area of interest is using vibrations for notification reminders and exploring the possibilities in gaming, which offers immersive and multi-modal experiences that users value.
Standardization is another topic Hong touches upon. While it has been somewhat avoided, she recognizes its significance and the challenges it presents for developers. Designing signals for specific hardware platforms can be limiting and requires significant effort to switch and learn different haptic platforms. Hong suggests that if there were a way to author haptic experiences regardless of the hardware, it would be a game-changer and greatly facilitate development.
Hong also highlights the need for advancements in hardware, specifically mentioning the desire for lower-resonance actuators that are more compact and cost-effective. These improvements would contribute to the overall growth and accessibility of haptic technology.
In conclusion, Hong expresses her eagerness for more people to work in the field of haptics. She believes that with diverse perspectives and creativity, the collective efforts of researchers and enthusiasts will enhance knowledge and technological advancements in this exciting field.
The future vision of Hong Tan
In envisioning the future of haptics, Hong Z. Tan expresses her fascination with the AR/VR field and believes there is tremendous untapped potential beyond the confines of the current devices. She firmly believes that for delivering haptic sensations, there is a need for physicality, for something tangible. This leads her to ponder the clever construction of mechanical structures that can facilitate immersive VR experiences.
Reflecting on past discussions, Hong recalls a scenario where haptics could enhance therapy sessions for overcoming height phobia. Imagine being in a virtual reality setting, riding an elevator to face your fear of heights, and having a warm, comforting hand gently squeezing yours, accompanying you on the journey. She contemplates the possibility of incorporating such comforting haptic feedback into VR experiences, where the subtle touch of a friend's presence can make a profound difference.
Hong acknowledges the challenges involved in haptic feedback for intense experiences like virtual combat or martial arts. Feeling the impact of a kick on your foot or the force of a sword strike seems daunting, but she remains hopeful that innovative solutions will emerge. She suggests exploring virtual therapy applications or similar avenues to leverage haptics in ways that genuinely benefit people, making it a worthwhile pursuit.
While she acknowledges her own limited imagination, Hong is curious about what others envision for the future of haptic devices and scenarios beyond gaming. The possibilities seem vast and open to interpretation, inviting further exploration and innovation in the field.
In summary, Hong Z. Tan's vision for the future of haptics encompasses expanding the capabilities of AR/VR, exploring physicality in haptic feedback, incorporating comforting touches in virtual experiences, tackling challenges in intense interactions, and seeking applications that truly enhance people's lives. The future of haptics holds exciting potential, and it's an area ripe for imagination and advancement.
Learn more about Hong Tan
In conclusion, we extend our sincere gratitude to Hong Z. Tan for sharing her expertise and insights on haptics. Her passion for the field and her dedication to pushing the boundaries of haptic technology are truly inspiring. If you're interested in delving deeper into Hong's research or if you're a professional haptic designer seeking collaboration opportunities, we encourage you to visit her website. There, you can explore her work and get in touch with her directly. The future of haptics is bright, and with experts like Hong Tan leading the way, we can anticipate exciting advancements and transformative applications on the horizon.
We want to express our sincere gratitude to Hong Tan for taking the time to share his insights on haptics and all her research. Thank you, Hong!
Disclaimer: Please note that this blog post has been partially generated by AI and transcribed from an interview. While efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, there may be occasional flaws or missing information in the transcription process. We apologize for any discrepancies and encourage readers to verify details from additional sources or contact the individuals mentioned for precise and up-to-date information.
