Surface Haptics: Virtual Touch on Physical Surfaces

The touch screen is the preeminent human-computer interface of our times. Touch input technologies such as the projected capacitance sensors found on many smart phones are rapidly advancing. But what about touch output? In this talk, weΓÇÖll discuss ΓÇ£surface hapticsΓÇ¥: programmable haptic interaction for physical surfaces such as touch screens and touch pads. Four main approaches ΓÇô vibration, shape, electrotactile, and shear force ΓÇô will be reviewed, but emphasis will be given to shear force because it is uniquely suited to bilateral (e.g., force feedback) interaction. WeΓÇÖll explain how shear force can be controlled by manipulating friction. Specific approaches to controlling coefficient of friction (?), normal force (N), and relative velocity (?v), will be reviewed, and weΓÇÖll describe a variety of devices ΓÇô the TPaD, ShiverPaD, LateralPaD, and ActivePaD ΓÇô that have been developed in our lab to exploit these effects. WeΓÇÖll share some recent experimental results, and close with some speculation on the future of surface haptics.