A basic challenge in perception research is to understand how sensory inputs from physical environments and the body are integrated in order to facilitate perceptual inferences. Thermal perception, which arises through heat transfer between extrinsic sources and body tissues, is an integral part of natural haptic experiences, and thermal feedback technologies have potential applications in wearable computing, virtual reality, and other areas. While physics dictates that thermal percepts can be slow, often unfolding over timescales measured in seconds, much faster perceptual responses can occur in the thermal grill illusion. The latter refers to a burning-like sensation that can be evoked when innocuous warm and cool stimuli are applied to the skin in juxtaposed fashion. Here, we show that perceptual response times to the thermal grill illusion decrease systematically with perceived intensity. Using results from behavioral experiments in combination with a physics-based description of tissue heating, we develop a simple model explaining the perception of the illusion through the evolution of internal tissue temperatures. The results suggest that improved understanding of the physical mechanisms of tissue heating may aid our understanding of thermal perception, as exemplified by the thermal grill illusion, and might point toward more efficient methods for thermal feedback.

中文翻译：

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热烤架错觉中的动力学和感知

感知研究的一个基本挑战是了解来自物理环境和身体的感官输入如何整合以促进感知推理。通过外部源和身体组织之间的热传递产生的热感知是自然触觉体验的一个组成部分，热反馈技术在可穿戴计算、虚拟现实和其他领域具有潜在应用。虽然物理学表明热感知可能很慢，通常会在以秒为单位测量的时间尺度上展开，但在热烤错觉中可能会发生更快的感知响应。后者是指当无害的温暖和凉爽的刺激以并列的方式施加到皮肤上时可以唤起的类似灼烧的感觉。这里，我们表明，对热格栅错觉的感知响应时间随着感知强度的增加而系统地减少。将行为实验的结果与基于物理的组织加热描述相结合，我们开发了一个简单的模型，通过内部组织温度的演变来解释错觉的感知。结果表明，更好地理解组织加热的物理机制可能有助于我们理解热感知，如热格栅错觉，并可能指向更有效的热反馈方法。我们开发了一个简单的模型，通过内部组织温度的演变来解释对错觉的感知。结果表明，更好地理解组织加热的物理机制可能有助于我们理解热感知，如热格栅错觉，并可能指向更有效的热反馈方法。我们开发了一个简单的模型，通过内部组织温度的演变来解释对错觉的感知。结果表明，更好地理解组织加热的物理机制可能有助于我们理解热感知，如热格栅错觉，并可能指向更有效的热反馈方法。