Material Perception

The perceptual processes by which people identify and characterize the materials that objects are made of — such as wood, metal, glass, leather, fabric, or stone — using visual, tactile, auditory, and sometimes thermal cues. Material perception goes beyond recognizing object shape or identity to include properties like texture, hardness, weight, compliance, and roughness. For blind and low-vision users, material perception typically relies on touch and sound, creating both a barrier (digital images rarely convey material cues) and an opportunity (vibrotactile and audio sensory-substitution systems can render material properties that alt text omits).