An investigation of the perceived tactile properties using fabric images, videos, and real fabrics

The tactile properties of fabrics convey vital information and influence customer decision and satisfaction. The understanding of the tactile properties is not comprehensive due to the multiple tactile properties and the various ways of assessing them. Here, we designed a series of psychophysical experiments to evaluate the multiple tactile properties, including flexible-stiff, smooth-rough, soft-firm, spongy-crisp, warm-cool, using flat fabric images, draped fabric images, rotating fabric videos, and real fabrics that only touch is allowed, only vision is allowed, both touch and vision are allowed. Our results show that it is necessary to study the different tactile properties rather than treat it as a whole. The tactile perception remained consistent yet slightly different among images, videos, and real fabrics, except for warm-cool. Overall, flexible-stiff, smooth-rough, soft-firm, and spongy-crisp perceived from draped fabric images are highly correlated with those perceived from fabric rotation video. Additionally, above mentioned tactile properties perceived from both draped fabric images and fabric rotation videos are more closely related to those perceived through actual observation and touch, compared to those perceived from flat fabric images. By comparing the experiment conditions, we found that in the absence of either vision or touch, consistent perception of the tactile properties can still be obtained using real fabrics. We also found the presence or absence of colour affects the perceived tactile properties only when other visual traits can be observed.