Hand Movements Used to Assess the Comfortability and Likability of Wood

Tactile perception is an important sensation when assessing the comfort of wood. In this study, we used a 3D real-time motion measurement system and a body pressure distribution system to compare the pattern in the hand movements in human subjects while assessing two emotional terms of wood with the hand movement assessing four fundamental terms. The results showed that subjects used similar hand movements to assess “comfortable/uncomfortable” and “like/dislike” emotions to those they used to assess “rough/smooth” and “dry/moist”. Only a few subjects assessed these emotional terms according to whether the wood felt “cool/warm” or “hard/soft”. These terms were related to the visual properties of the wood. The hand movements when assessing “comfortable/uncomfortable” and “like/dislike” were speculated by roughness and moistness rather than warmness and hardness.