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Related Concept Videos

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
Sensation01:21

Sensation

Sensory receptors are specialized neurons that respond to specific types of external stimuli, initiating the process known as sensation. This occurs when sensory input, such as light entering the eye, is detected by these receptors, causing chemical changes in the cells of the retina. These cells then convert the sensory stimulus into action potentials that are transmitted to the central nervous system, a process termed transduction.
Absolute thresholds can quantify the sensitivity of sensory...
Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
Sensory Modalities01:15

Sensory Modalities

Sensation typically is the process by which the sensory receptors and sense organs detect stimuli from the internal and external environment and transmit this information to the central nervous system for processing.
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...
Sensory Functions of the Skin01:16

Sensory Functions of the Skin

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and plays a crucial role in our sensory perception. It contains a vast network of sensory receptors that contribute to the skin's protective function by perceiving physical, biological, and environmental cues and generating relevant responses.
There are two main categories of receptors on the skin: capsulated and non-capsulated. The non-capsulated ones are mainly the pain receptors. The capsulated ones can be further categorized based on the...
Depth Perception and Spatial Vision01:15

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 7, 2026

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)

Published on: July 30, 2020

Feeling small: exploring the tactile perception limits.

Lisa Skedung1, Martin Arvidsson, Jun Young Chung

  • 11] Surface and Corrosion Science, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Drottning Kristinasväg 51, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden [2].

Scientific Reports
|September 14, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Human touch can distinguish surface patterns down to the nanoscale. This study reveals tactile perception extends to very fine wrinkle wavelengths and amplitudes, impacting material texture discrimination.

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 7, 2026

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)
04:40

Tactile Semiautomatic Passive-Finger Angle Stimulator (TSPAS)

Published on: July 30, 2020

Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects
07:32

Measurement of Vibration Detection Threshold and Tactile Spatial Acuity in Human Subjects

Published on: September 1, 2016

Assessment of Spatial Lingual Tactile Sensitivity using a Gratings Orientation Test
06:00

Assessment of Spatial Lingual Tactile Sensitivity using a Gratings Orientation Test

Published on: September 17, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Material Science
  • Psychophysics

Background:

  • Human tactile sensitivity is high for material perception.
  • The precise length scales distinguishable by active touch remain unclear.
  • Understanding tactile limits informs material design and human-computer interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the smallest length scales the human finger can distinguish during active touch.
  • To correlate tactile perception with physical surface properties.
  • To investigate the role of surface topography in tactile discrimination.

Main Methods:

  • Manufactured 16 patterned surfaces with controlled wrinkle wavelengths (300 nm to 90 μm) and amplitudes (7 nm to 4.5 μm).
  • Utilized psychophysical methods (pairwise scaling, INDSCAL) to assess perceived surface similarities.
  • Linked perceptual data to physical properties like friction coefficient and wrinkle wavelength.

Main Results:

  • Established a tactile perceptual space defined by friction and wrinkle wavelength.
  • Demonstrated that human tactile discrimination can resolve wrinkle amplitudes as low as approximately 10 nm.
  • Confirmed that tactile perception is sensitive to nanoscale topographic variations.

Conclusions:

  • Human tactile discrimination extends to the nanoscale, particularly concerning surface topography.
  • Wrinkle wavelength and friction are key dimensions in tactile perception of surfaces.
  • These findings have implications for understanding haptic perception and designing textured materials.