Tactile paving

HOW

1. Take off your shoes.
2. Walk down the alley barefoot.
3. Walk slowly, stepping carefully. Try to remember how the different types of surface feel. Be careful! Some of them may be hot!
4. Repeat the experiment walking with your eyes closed.
5. See if you can correctly identify the type of surface without seeing it.

WHY

The sense of touch is composed of as many as five types of receptors with different structures, surfaces, speed of response and location in the body.

• Thanks to the two receptors in the upper
layer of the skin, a gentle touch is sensed.

• The receptors located deeper
allow the perception of pressure
and mechanical vibrations.

• The deepest located receptors are those
responsible for sensing heat, cold and pain.

As you walk along the tactile paving, receptors on your feet register the texture and temperature of different materials. They then send this information to the brain. The brain learns, so you can easily recognise a surface based solely on tactile and thermal sensations.