New Scientist reports that tactile feedback may appear in touchscreen applications in the not-too-distant future.
According to the report, Immersion, a company in San Jose, California, is attempting to develop a touchscreen that gives users the tactile illusion that buttons protrude from the surface. This will be achieved by using a piezoelectric motor to vibrate the screen laterally, though beyond that Immersion is not revealing how its system will work.
Research in the field of haptics – or touch sense – is being conducted by neuroscientists across the globe, the report states. By using minute vibrations, the researchers are starting to develop convincing illusions of roughness, slipperiness and other tactile sensations.
Source link: Touchscreen research focusing on tactile illusion