Auditory–Tactile Congruence for Synthesis of Adaptive Pain Expressions in RoboPatients

Résumé fourni par la source

Misdiagnosis can lead to delayed treatments and harm. Robopatients provide a controlled method for training and evaluating clinicians in rare, subtle, and complex cases, thereby reducing diagnostic errors. We present a study exploring auditory–tactile congruence for the synthesis of adaptive pain expressions in robopatients. In this work, the robopatient functions as an adaptive intermediary, capable of synthesizing vocal pain expressions in response to tactile stimuli generated during palpation. Using an abdominal phantom, robopatient captures and processes haptic input via an internal palpation‐to‐pain mapping model. To evaluate perceptual congruence between palpation and the corresponding auditory output, we conducted a study involving 7680 trials across 20 participants, who evaluated pain intensity through sound. Results show that amplitude and pitch significantly influence agreement with the robot's pain expressions, irrespective of pain sounds. Stronger palpation forces elicited stronger agreement, aligning with psychophysical patterns. The study revealed that pitch and amplitude are key in pain sound perception, with pitch being more influential. These acoustic features shape how well the sound matches the applied force during palpation, impacting perceived realism. This approach lays the groundwork for high‐fidelity robopatients in clinical education and diagnostic simulation, serving as a platform to explore high‐dimensional concepts such as pain through robots.

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