  Tactile perception is an increasingly popular gateway in human-machine
interaction, yet universal design guidelines for tactile displays are still
lacking, largely due to the absence of methods to measure sensibility across
skin areas. In this study, we address this gap by developing and evaluating two
fully automated vibrotactile tasks that require subjects to discriminate the
position of vibrotactile stimuli using a two-interval forced-choice procedure
(2IFC). Of the two methodologies, one was initially validated through a
preliminary study involving 13 participants. Subsequently, we applied the
validated and improved vibrotactile testing procedure to a larger sample of 23
participants, enabling a direct and valid comparison with static perception.
Our findings reveal a significantly finer spatial acuity for static stimuli
perception compared to vibrotactile stimuli perception from a stimulus
separation of 15 mm onwards. This study introduces a novel method for
generating both universal thresholds and individual person-specific data for
vibratory perception, marking a critical step towards the development of
functional vibrotactile displays. The results underline the need for further
research in this area and provide a foundation for the development of universal
design guidelines for tactile displays.
