Lynette A Jones

Research Interests

Wearable tactile displays

​Thermal sensing and perception

Cutaneous communication systems

Human-machine interfaces

Bio

Dr. Lynette Jones has been in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT since 1994 and has been a Senior Research Scientist in the Department since 2010. Prior to joining MIT, she was a tenured Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. Her research is focused on understanding how the skin senses the environment and determining how it can be used effectively as a medium of communication. Her work on tactile displays includes research on characterizing the properties of different actuators used in displays, building and testing different types of tactile displays, evaluating the mechanical properties of skin so as to quantify its responses to vibration and human perceptual studies in which responses to mechanical stimulation of the skin are quantified. The wireless tactile displays designed and fabricated in her laboratory have been used by a number of research groups in academia and industry interested in assessing the feasibility of using tactile displays in different applications ranging from target search and localization with robotic swarms to cuing soldiers regarding impending dangers.

Related to this work is her research on thermal displays which includes developing thermal models that characterize the interaction between the hand and an object, building and testing thermal displays and conducting psychophysical and physiological studies with human subjects to assess the validity of the thermal models implemented in the displays. This research has been extended to examining how thermal feedback can be incorporated in multisensory displays and used as a channel of communication. She has demonstrated the feasibility of using thermal feedback in such applications and described novel perceptual features associated with these inputs.

Online Data

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PJ8AdXYAAAAJ&hl=en

Honors + Awards

Meritorious Service Award, IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 2009

Fellow of the IEEE, 2018

IEEE Technical Committee on Haptics Distinguished Service Award, 2021

Memberships

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Member

IEEE, Fellow

Society for Neuroscience, Member

Professional Service

2023-present: Chair, IEEE Transactions on Haptics Management Committee

2014-2019: Editor-in-chief, IEEE Transactions on Haptics

2010-2013: Associate Editor-in-chief, IEEE Transactions on Haptics

2008-2011: Editor-in-chief, World Haptics Conference Editorial Board

1992-2006: Editorial Board, Presence, Teleoperators and Virtual Environments

1998-2002: Committee on Space Biology and Medicine, Space Studies Board, National Research Council

2001-2002: Task Group on the International Space Station, National Research Council

MIT Service

Postdoctoral Officer, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Member, Graduate Admissions Committee

Member, Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Engineering Excellence Committee

Publications

Reed, C.M., Tan, H.Z., & Jones, L.A. (2023). Haptic communication of language. IEEE Transactions on Haptics, in press.

Jones, L.A. & Ho, H-N. (2022). Incorporating thermal feedback in cutaneous displays: Reconciling temporal and spatial disparities. 11^th International Workshop on Haptic and Audio Interaction Design, 48-58. 

Simonelli, C., Musolino, A., Rizzo, R., & Jones, L.A. (2021). Development of an innovative magnetorheological fluids-based haptic device excited by permanent magnets. IEEE World Haptics Conference, 61-66.

Jones, L.A. & Singhal, A. (2019). Sensory interactions in cutaneous displays. IEEE World Haptics Conference, 545-550.

Gaudeni, C., Meli, L., Jones, L.A., & Prattichizzo, D. (2019). Presenting surface features using a haptic ring: A psychophysical study on relocating vibrotactile feedback. IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 12, 257-268.

Kajimoto, H. & Jones, L.A. (2019). Wearable tactile display based on thermal expansion of nichrome wire. IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 12, 257-268.

Jones, L.A. (2018). Haptics. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Singhal, A. & Jones, L.A. (2018). Creating thermal icons – A model-based approach. ACM Transactions on Applied Perception, 15, Article 14 (22 pages).

Rizzo, R., Musolino, A., & Jones, L.A. (2018). Shape recognition and localization using a magnetorheological-fluid haptic display. IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 11, 317-321.

Jones, L.A. & Singhal, A. (2018). Vibrotactile pattern identification in a multisensory display. In D. Prattichizzo, H. Shinoda, H.Z. Tan, E. Ruffaldi, & A. Frisoli (Eds.), LNCS10893, Haptics: Science, Technology, and Applications, 401-412.

Jones, L.A. & Singhal, A. (2018). Perceptual dimensions of vibrotactile actuators. IEEE Haptics Symposium, 307-312.

Parker, M., Jones, L.A., Hunter, I., Taberner, A., Nash, M. & Nielsen, P. (2017). Multidirectional in vivo characterization of skin using Wiener nonlinear stochastic system identification techniques. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 139, 011004-1-011004-11.

Jones, L. A. (2016). Perspectives on the evolution of tactile, haptic and thermal displays. Presence, 25, 247-252.

Hogan, N.C., Taberner, A.J., Jones, L.A. and Hunter, I.W. (2015). Needle-free delivery of macromolecules through the skin using controllable jet injectors. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 12 (10).

Jones, L.A. & Smith, A.M. (2014). Tactile sensory system: Encoding from the periphery to the cortex. WIREs Systems Biology and Medicine, 6, 279-287.

Azadi, M. & Jones, L.A. (2014). Evaluating vibrotactile dimensions for the design of tactons. IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 7, 14-23.

Jones, L.A. & Tan, H.Z. (2013). Application of psychophysical techniques to haptic research. IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 6, 268-284.

Sofia, K.O. & Jones, L.A. (2013). Mechanical and psychophysical studies of surface wave propagation during vibrotactile stimulation.  IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 6, 320-329.

Sandford, E., Chen, Y., Hunter, I, Hillebrand, G., & Jones, L. (2013). Capturing skin properties from dynamic mechanical analyses. Skin Research and Technology, 19, e339-e348.

Hemond, B., Hunter, I.W., Hughey, B.J., & Jones, L.A. (2012). MICA: An innovative approach to remote data acquisition. IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Magazine, 15, 22-27.

Jones, L.A. (2011). Tactile communication systems: Optimizing the display of information. Progress in Brain Research, 192, 113-128.

Lederman, S.J. & Jones, L.A. (2011). Tactile and haptic illusions.  IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 4, 273-294.

Galie, J. & Jones, L.A. (2010). Thermal cues and the perception of force. Experimental Brain Research, 200, 81-90.

Yang, G., Kwon, D., & Jones, L.A. (2009). Spatial acuity and summation on the hand: The role of thermal cues in material discrimination. Attention, Perception & Psychophysics, 71, 156-163.

Jones, L.A., Kunkel, J. & Piateski, E. (2009). Vibrotactile pattern recognition on the arm and back. Perception, 38, 52-68.

Jones, L.A. & Held, D.A. (2008). Characterization of tactors used in vibrotactile displays. Journal of Computing and Information Sciences in Engineering, 8, 044501-1 - 044501-5.

Jones, L.A. & Ho, H-N., (2008). Warm or cool, large or small? The challenge of thermal displays. IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 1, 53-70.

Ho, H. & Jones, L.A. (2008). Modeling the thermal responses of the skin surface during hand-object interactions. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 130, 21005-1 - 21005-8.

Jones, L.A. & Sarter, N. (2008). Tactile displays: Guidance for their design and application. Human Factors, 50, 90-111.

Yang, G., Jones, L.A., & Kwon, D. (2008) Use of simulated thermal cues for material discrimination and identification with a multi-fingered display.  Presence, 17, 29-42.

Ho, H. & Jones, L.A. (2007). Development and evaluation of a thermal display for material identification and discrimination. ACM Transactions on Applied Perception, 4, 1-24.

Jones, L.A., Lockyer, B., & Piateski, E. (2006). Tactile display and vibrotactile recognition on the torso. Advanced Robotics, 20, 1359-1374.

Ho, H. & Jones, L.A. (2006). Contribution of thermal cues to material discrimination and localization. Perception & Psychophysics, 68, 118-128.

Jones, L.A. & Piateski, E. (2006). Contribution of tactile feedback from the hand to the perception of force. Experimental Brain Research, 168, 298-302.

Jones, L.A. & Lederman, S.J. (2006).  Human hand function. New York: Oxford University Press.

Patents

Galiana, H.L., Hunter, I.W., Jones, L.A., & Tangorra, J. “Apparatus and method for measuring vestibular ocular reflex function.” Patent number: 5,942,954. Issued: 8/24/1999.

Galiana, H.L., Hunter, I.W., Jones, L.A., & Tangorra, J. “Drowsiness/Alertness Monitor” Patent number: 6,091,334. Issued: 7/18/2000.

Hunter, I.W., Chen, Y., Jones, L.A. & Hogan, N.C. “Identification techniques and device for testing the efficacy of beauty care products and cosmetics” Patent number: 9,265,461 Issued 2/23/2016.