Prof. Hong Tan, co-authors, win IEEE Transactions on Haptics Best Paper Award
A paper written by Purdue ECE Prof. Hong Tan and her PhD student Juan Sebastian Martinez has been selected for the IEEE Transactions on Haptics Best Paper Award 2020. The paper, entitled "A Phonemic-Based Tactile Display for Speech Communication," was co-authored by Charlotte Reed (MIT) and Purdue ECE alumnus Ali Israr, who is now with Facebook.
The paper describes a new tactile speech device based on the presentation of phonemic-based tactile codes. The device consists of 24 tactors under independent control for stimulation at the forearm. Using properties that include frequency and waveform of stimulation, amplitude, spatial location, and movement characteristics, unique tactile codes were designed for 39 consonant and vowel phonemes of the English language.
Established in 2017, the IEEE Transactions on Haptics Best Paper Award recognizes the best paper of the IEEE Transactions on Haptics (ToH) published in the previous calendar year. It is funded by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society. The ToH Senior Editorial Board selects the final candidate papers, and the Editor-in-Chief makes the final selection of the winning paper. Scientific and technological excellence is the unique criterion for judging the paper.