Investigation of the Perception of Fabric Hand Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

摘要

Fabric hand is a key factor for clothing comfort. A good 'fabric feel' creates a satisfying interaction between the garment wearer and the external environment. An important form of fabric hand assessment is the method of subjective rating where people use their five sensory modalities, to judge fabrics. Another technology, the Kawabata Evaluation System for Fabrics [KES-FB], uses instruments to objectively measure textile parameters. Since, the role of the human sensory system for fabric hand evaluation is still unknown. An attempt has been made to use an advanced bio-medical technique, the fMRI [functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging] to study the relation between human perception and fabric textures. The study conducted tried to verify the use of passive touch [no motor movement] using two contrasting textures with a rough and smooth fabric hand, each having a pleasant and unpleasant tactile perception. Eight healthy, right-handed male volunteers participated in the experiment. The objective being that the somatosensory areas, in the parietal lobe of the brain are activated during textural surface analysis. The project aims to quantify the inter-relationship between subjective and objective measurements in a more definitive manner using human perception as a tool.