Assaf Pressman

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

Papers

Total Citations

136

H-Index

About

Assaf Pressman’s research lies at the intersection of haptic perception, sensorimotor control, and human-robot interaction, with a particular focus on how the brain interprets delayed tactile feedback during teleoperation and virtual manipulation. His most influential work, “Perception of Delayed Stiffness” (2007, 90 citations), fundamentally advanced our understanding of how the human sensorimotor system copes with communication delays when interacting with robotic devices—a critical challenge for telemedicine, remote surgery, and immersive virtual environments. Pressman demonstrated that delays in haptic feedback systematically alter the perceived stiffness of virtual objects, revealing that the brain constructs internal models of the environment that can be misled by temporal mismatches. His follow-up study (2008, 30 citations) extended these findings by probing how humans probe virtual boundaries, showing that the brain’s representation of an interface is shaped by both cognitive interpretation and motor planning. More recently, his work on simultaneity in knocking perception (2012) explored the precise timing mechanisms underlying impact perception, offering insights into how we synchronize action and sensation. Pressman’s contributions have been instrumental in designing more intuitive haptic interfaces and improving the fidelity of teleoperated systems, making his research essential reading for engineers and neuroscientists alike.