Goleta, CA (Jan. 26, 2010) - BIOPAC Systems, Inc. has released a new haptic (tactile) stimulator that incorporates an electromagnetically actuated plunger which can be used to mechanically stimulate a 1.5 mm diameter area of skin surface. The TSD190 is ergonomically designed to strap onto a variety of body locations and both plunger force and travel can be infinitely adjusted between zero and a specified maximum value. Applications include somatosensory and other types of tactile sensory tests, such as an averaging-type sensory nerve test to determine the speed of propagation and activation threshold of somatosensory nerves.

The TSD190 connects directly to the BIOPAC STM100C stimulation module. Plunger activation force, width of stimulus pulse, and pulse repetition rate are established via the AcqKnowledge Set up Stimulator window. The TSD190 will respond to any kind of applied waveform, such as square, triangle, sinusoidal or arbitrary.