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.
