# Sound2Hap: Learning Audio-to-Vibrotactile Haptic Generation from Human Ratings

Source: [Sound2Hap: Learning Audio-to-Vibrotactile Haptic Generation from Human Ratings](<https://www.sota2.com/research/paper/69705d67e25ad2fa9d1eceeb>)

Collection index: [llms.txt](<https://www.sota2.com/research/llms.txt>)

Data updated: 2026-01-28T05:00:19.604Z

Authors: Yinan Li, Hasti Seifi

Published: 2026-01-18T03:50:02.000Z

## Abstract

Environmental sounds like footsteps, keyboard typing, or dog barking carry rich information and emotional context, making them valuable for designing haptics in user applications. Existing audio-to-vibration methods, however, rely on signal-processing rules tuned for music or games and often fail to generalize across diverse sounds. To address this, we first investigated user perception of four existing audio-to-haptic algorithms, then created a data-driven model for environmental sounds. In Study 1, 34 participants rated vibrations generated by the four algorithms for 1,000 sounds, revealing no consistent algorithm preferences. Using this dataset, we trained Sound2Hap, a CNN-based autoencoder, to generate perceptually meaningful vibrations from diverse sounds with low latency. In Study 2, 15 participants rated its output higher than signal-processing baselines on both audio-vibration match and Haptic Experience Index (HXI), finding it more harmonious with diverse sounds. This work demonstrates a perceptually validated approach to audio-haptic translation, broadening the reach of sound-driven haptics.

## Recorded benchmark results

A research result applies to its stated dataset, split, metric and evaluation configuration. Compare like-for-like settings, preserve the metric's unit and direction, and distinguish paper-reported results from independent reproduction. The best result recorded here is not a claim of exhaustive, current global coverage.

- [Audio-to-Vibrotactile Haptic Generation on ESC-50 and BBC HXI User Study (evaluation)](<https://www.sota2.com/research/sota/audio-to-vibrotactile-haptic-generation-on-esc-50-and-bbc-hxi-user-study-evaluation.md>): Audio-to-Vibrotactile Haptic Generation; ESC-50 and BBC HXI User Study (evaluation); F-Statistic: 7.24.

## Original sources and implementation

[Original paper](<https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.12245>)

[PDF](<https://arxiv.org/pdf/2601.12245.pdf>)