I have been examining accelerometers and encoders that might be used in future experiments. Learned that piezoelectric based accelerometers have 'drift' when they are stationary, which is not desirable, but luckily, the RiSE? project is also making use of some tiny accelerometers, that they will let us use too. Another option for the accelerometer is to use the motes supplied by Intel. If we can get these to work, and if they have reasonable response, it would be great, because they are wireless.

Encoders- trying to find a small one that can be mounted on a person's arm. According to Will, we also have to think of a way to decode the information supplied by the encoder using some sort of software/chip. Virgilio has given Li some ideas on how this can be done using a decoder for an optical mouse.

Testing vibration versus skin stretch somehow in a dynamic and static situation (will probably have similar results in static situation, but the hope is that in the dynamic situation, vibration sensation will be lost/weaker).

What do we really need to do? What are the key questions that need to be answered about skin stretch?

Is human response to skin stretch as immediate as it is to vibration?

How does skin stretch vary from person to person? Would applying the same amount of force to each person result in the same intensity or would displacing each person?s skin the same amount produce equal intensity?

If skin stretch is applied for a long period of time, does a person forget about the sensation? How long does it take (would probably vary with the magnitude of skin stretch)

Where should we apply the skin stretch? (hand is more sensitive, but arm is more easily accessed and has fewer interferences)

How does body position (having your hand in a fist vs. open hand/resting arm on a surface vs. holding arm freely in air) affect the skin stretch?

Where on the body can we place a skin stretching motor? The hand is more sensitive than the arm, but wouldn?t placing a device on someone?s hand hinder any sort of dexterous manipulation that is necessary?