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Abstract

In this study we combined two new techniques to investigate visual and haptic perceptual representations of three-dimensional, parametrically-defined shapes. We generated a 3-D object space of shell-shaped objects by altering three model parameters defining shell shape. We created 21 equidistant plastic models of the objects with a 3-D printing device. Haptic exploration was done by having blindfolded participants explore these objects with both hands and no restrictions to the exploratory procedure. To ensure visual interaction without any haptic information, visual representation of these objects were presented to participants via a head-mounted display. Participants manipulated a position-tracked physical substitute to rotate the objects on the display. Pairwise similarity ratings were performed and analysed using multidimensional scaling techniques. Both visual and haptic perceptual representations were highly consistent with the underlying physical three-dimensional parameter space. Interestingly, haptic exploration resulted in a more precise perceptual representation than the visual condition. Additionally, very similar MDS maps of the visual and the haptic exploration provide evidence that one shared perceptual space is underlying both modalities.