With touch screens getting more and more prevalent, we’re seeing more experimentation with haptics. Being able to feel something other than just the smooth glass surface can be incredibly advantageous. Have you been in a car with a touch screen radio system? If so you’ll know the frustration.
Tanvas is a system that adds haptics by changing the amount of adhesion your finger tip experiences on the screen. Basically, they’re increasing the friction in a controlled manner. The result is a distinct difference between various areas of the screen. To be clear, you’re not feeling ridges, edges, or other 3 dimensional items, but you can definitely feel where something exists and something does not.
The touch screen itself isn’t really a consumer product. This is a dev kit, so you could incorporate their tech into your projects. Admittedly, this is only appealing to a very narrow subset of our readership (those developing a product that uses a touch screen) but I felt the tech was very interesting and wanted to share. Personally, I’d love to see this technology employed in popular consumer devices such as iPads!
Source: Quick Look: Tanvas Haptic Touch Screen
Robin Edgar
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