tactile
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Sony prototypes pressure-sensitive tactile touchscreen, hopes to use it ASAP
Sony may come up with some far-out ideas, but the company insists this one's a bit closer to home: it's a LCD touchscreen with force sensing resistors and piezoelectric actuators that can detect how much pressure is applied and vibrate the panel respectively. Tech-On was rocking the scene at Open House 2010, and reports that the Cover Flow-like interface shuffled icons faster the harder a demonstrator pressed down, an interesting UI quirk in and of itself. Though the publication sadly didn't get to test out the tactile feedback for themselves, Sony said commercialization might not be too far off -- when asked about that telling Sony Ericsson logo, the company asserted that it'd like to see the tech in mobile phones "as soon as possible." We'd love to hold them to that, but unfortunately the applied pressure mechanic is just a prototype at this point.
NC State's refreshable Braille display could revolutionize reading for the blind
While many in Raleigh are wondering whatever happened to the glory days of 1983, Dr. Neil Di Spigna and company are doing far more productive things at NC State. It's no secret that the holy grail of Braille is a tactile display that could change on a whim in order to give blind viewers a way to experience richer content (and lots more of it) when reading, but not until today have we been reasonably confident that such a goal was attainable. Gurus at the university have just concocted a "hydraulic and latching mechanism" concept, vital to the creation of the full-page, refreshable Braille display system. As you may expect, the wonder of this solution is the display's ability to erect dots at the precise points, retract them, and re-erect another set when the reader scrolls through a document or presses a "link" on a website. We're told that the researchers have already presented their findings, and if all goes well, they'll have a fully functioning prototype "within a year." Here's hoping a suitable replacement to Lee Fowler is also unearthed during the same window.
Latest Apple patent app details multitouch tactile keyboard
We're not going so far as to suggest that this here patent application foreshadows the kind of keyboard that'll be on a certain Apple tablet that may or may not be real, but if the suits in Cupertino do actually have such a device in the works, they'd be silly to not apply this technology to it. Dug up by Apple Insider, the latest app details a multitouch tactile keyboard that would boast a dynamic surface for helping typists keep track of where they're at on the board. Essentially, the surface would utilize an "articulating frame" in order to raise and retract bumps to make typing without physical keys a wee bit easier, and while we're certain that it would take some getting used to, it's bound to be simpler than banging on a static surface that requires your eyes to be on it. Don't go getting your hopes up, though -- wouldn't want to get them crushed when late January brings you an iPod touch with a camera, now would you?
Rumored tablet could include dynamic tactile surface
As a guy who still kind of winces at the iPhone's touch surface sometimes (especially when playing games -- you don't realize how nice buttons are until you see a character die because your thumb's in the way), this is extremely interesting news: Apple's rumored tablet, which we've been hearing a lot about lately, may include a dynamic, tactile surface. This one's on a little shakier ground than the other rumors that we've heard before, but it makes sense. After that anonymous exec told the NYT that the interface on the new tablet would be "surprising," AppleInsider notes this recent pulled out an old patent from a few years ago that talks about a surface that changes its shape and feel based on how it's being used. For viewing pictures with the multitouch, it stays smooth, but the second a keyboard or button pops up, it can push out dots or shapes and become slightly tactile. [Neil from AI sent a note to update us: "Just wanted to clarify that we didn't "dig up" an old patent -- it was filed for in August of this year, and was made public just today. It is, however, very similar to an application first revealed in 2007."] Sounds like it'd be tough to get right (you'd have to figure out when users expect a tactile surface and when they don't, among other interesting UI questions), but of course if anyone can pull it off, it'll probably be Apple. Note that this isn't the only futuristic idea Apple has had for larger multitouch surfaces, and there are lots of different options for interfaces that we'd find "surprising." But the fact remains that though touchscreen devices are extremely popular, users want a little more feel and a little less look. It'd be great to see Apple pull this off, if they are planning on showing off a larger touchscreen next month.
Das Keyboard Ultimate S unleashed for the tactile experience-loving typist
Das Keyboards are pretty well known for the tactile and auditory assault they delight fingers and ears with. Well, the mechanical Ultimate S -- an updated model which has just surfaced -- is just as tactile and noisy as all the other models, but it's also got a few added features, including two USB ports, an external PS / 2 adapter, plus full 'n' key rollover with PS / 2. The board is also KVM switch compatible, and of course, the keys are still blank. The keyboard is now shipping, and runs $129.[Thanks, Rocky]
Touchable Holography uses Wiimotes to add touch to holograms
Researchers from The University of Tokyo have demoed a touchable hologram at Siggraph 2009. The project, called Touchable Holography, involves the use of Wiimotes placed above the display to track hand motion, and an airborne ultrasound tactile display created in the university's lab to create the sensation of touch. The result is a holographic image that produces tactile feedback without any actual touching, and without degrading the image itself. Check out the video after the break for a fuller, more stunning explanation. [Thanks, Adam]
Underwater robot has sense of touch, class and style
At the Fraunhofer Institute in Bremen, Germany, a group of researchers, in conjunction with the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence DFKI, is developing an underwater robot with a sense of touch. The octopus-esque robot is equipped with a strain gauge which triggers electrical resistance changes when an obstacle is encountered. The strain gauges -- which are printed onto the robot -- which are ten micrometers wide (about half the width of a human hair), are made up of atomized nanoparticles, and are extremely sensitive. The researchers intend for the robot to be able to distinguish between actual obstacles and water currents. The robot's first stop will be a public trade show at the end of May in Nuremberg, after which it will presumably make it's way to the dark depths of the sea to meet up with Captain Nemo and the giant squid.
Carnegie Mellon morphs 'pop-up buttons' onto multi-touch display
While attempts to add feedback to touchscreen displays via vibration and audible tones are laudable, these attempts are nothing by comparison to the tactile euphoria felt at the press of a well-designed button. Still, many of us are willing to sacrifice tactility in order to maximize display sizes on our pocketable or portable devices. Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon have developed touch-sensitive displays with physical buttons that "pop-out" from the surface. CM's prototypes pump air through geometric-shaped holes to create concave or convex "buttons" on a screen covered with a semi-transparent latex -- IR sensors and cameras detect finger placement while a projector cast images (like numbers and graphics) onto the display. It can even sense press-force by monitoring changes in air pressure. Sure it all sounds overly cumbersome until you see the technology demonstrated. For that you can travel to Pittsburgh to count the rivers or just hit the read link below for the video. Read -- Video Read -- Technology Review
Ten crazy iPhone cases
I ended up going with an iSkin Revo for my iPhone as a thin little protective case, but now that I've seen some of these crazy cases, I'm reconsidering just a little bit. Who wouldn't want to encase your iPhone in what appears to be bacon, or try out the tactile iPhone case above (which transmits button presses to a customized home screen -- not something I'd want to use all the time, but it is wild and it has a purpose).That Dexter case is cool too, though there are probably plenty of promotional cases out there. It's almost too bad -- when I picked up my plain black case, I was thinking a lot more about function than appearance. There's all kinds of cool things out there to put your iPhone in.[via Urlesque]
Swype could make typing easier on the iPhone
Still haven't caught on to typing on that little non-tactile keyboard on the iPhone's screen? This little tech, from the creator of the T9 system (dreaded by some, loved by others) being shown off at TC50, could be just the ticket. Swype is kind of like a gesture-based system, except that it uses the keyboard knowledge you already have -- just run a stylus (or your finger) around a qwerty-board, hitting all the letters in your word on the way, and the program will guess the word you were drawing. If you're looking for something similar that's already appeared on the iPhone, you might check out ShapeWriter's WritingPad, which we hope will be returning to the App Store soon (warning: loud video on page).It's pretty wild -- his drawing "Mississippi" set off my "awesometer." Unfortunately, while the iPhone is given just a slight mention (can you name another touchscreen device that's used as widely?), it'd probably need a little tweaking. He's using a stylus (which on the iPhone is a no), and it'd be tough to draw with accuracy on a keyboard as small as the iPhone, even on the bigger horizontal version. Still, I like it, and Apple could always consider something like this for the iTablet, whenever they decide to release that. It'd be an easy way to overlay another typing method onto an already-working nontactile keyboard.
iphone-haptics makes typing on the iPhone just a little more lively
Haptics are still more of a novelty than a necessity in the phone world (RAZR 2 owners, we know you're feeling us there), and if we could think of one single way to significantly increase the visibility of the technology and its mobile applications, it'd be to get it fired up on the iPhone -- a device where tactile feedback is definitely... shall we say, at a premium. Enter iphone-haptics, an app that's still in its teething stages but gives a sneak peek at the future of rumblin' keyboards on everyone's favorite Apple handset, letting users test out just what it feels like to be buzzed with every key press using a sample text editor. We're far from convinced that this is going to improve speed or accuracy for most folks -- not to mention battery drain concerns -- but hey, maybe the delightfully pleasant sensation alone is worth it. Who are we to judge?[Thanks, Suzy]
ELIA Life to roll out tactile displays for the visually impaired
A project that saw a prototype form some five years back is finally nearing commercialization, as ELIA Life Technology has recently been licensed to bring a tactile graphic display device and fingertip graphic reader to market. Originally developed by NIST researchers, the aforementioned screen enables individuals to feel an array of images on a reusable surface by raising around 3,600 actuator points into a certain pattern, each of which can be sent electronically to the reader. Separately, a finger-based device utilizes 100 minuscule pins that can be activated as a person scans a given surface, which enables the pins to move across one's skin as it "translates" the text / image / etc. Regrettably, a concrete release date wasn't mentioned, but judging by the looks of it, it shouldn't be long now before it's widely available to those interested.[Via Coolest-Gadgets]
Specifications of Verizon's LG Voyager outed
Counting down the hours until the Voyager makes an appearance on Verizon? If so, here's something sure to tide you over. Apparently, the handset's datasheet has made its way onto the intarweb, and it's got just about every detail you could ever want -- save for a price and pinpointed release date, of course. Highlights include a 2.81-inch external touchscreen, VibeTouch tactile feedback support, V CAST Mobile TV, dual integrated speakers, a two-megapixel camera, microSD expansion slot and VZ Navigator preloaded. If you've undoubtedly got this one on your must-have list, hit the read link and eat your heart out.[Via MobilitySite]
Apple envisions tactility on touchscreen keyboards
Tactile feedback isn't exactly new to the mobile device arena, but Apple is apparently looking to add a bit of tactility to on-screen keyboards of the future. In a recent patent filing, the gurus in Cupertino have described four arrangements for accomplishing the aforementioned goal, some of which include adding dots / bars to keys and throwing an articulating frame underneath the panel to enable users to feel varying levels of resistance when mashing down. Per usual, we're left to imagine where such technology could eventually end up (tough job, we know), but considering that this is the third touchpad-related filing seen from Apple in the past 20 days, who knows what is (or isn't) brewing.UPDATE: Check it out -- seems this diagram looks an awful lot like something designed by Fingerworks. Thanks for the heads-up, Jason![Via UnwiredView]
University of Leeds developing artificial finger for sensory studies
If you were a tad freaked out by a robotic hand clothed in cucumbers, we promise this one's a bit tamer. A team of researchers at the University of Leeds have put forth a proposal to create an "artificial finger" in order to better understand why we react differently to different textures / surfaces. The finger will purportedly be used in testing rigs that "measure variables such as friction and compliance," and when combined with data from "a series of self-report experiments," the team aims to identity relationships between certain surface profiles and emotions. Of course, this kind of analysis would be a marketers dream come true, and let's face it, you know we couldn't resist picking up a Winnie the Pooh DAP that was inexplicably fuzzy.[Via Core77]
NTT's Tangible-3D prototype gives feeling to on-screen imagery
Regardless of general consensus, it looks like 3D display technology is making a run for our wallets (and to a lesser extent, our hearts), and just days after getting wind of Philips' latest iteration, NTT is hitting back with a newfangled approach of its own. Based around an improved version of the company's original 3D display, this prototype system relies on a sophisticated array of cameras and an actuator-stuffed glove that can allow the wearer to "feel the image" that shows up on the LCD. As the object changes, the glove moves along in real-time to give the user a lifelike idea of what the on-screen matter actually feels like, but unfortunately, it doesn't allow the individual to react. Thankfully, a two-way system that will enable tactile transmissions to be channeled in both directions is in the works, but those parked in Japan can check out the current system at the Industrial Virtual Reality Expo later next week.[Via Slashgear image courtesy of Mainichi]
Toshiba rolls out automotive HD DVD player, improved LCD panel
Toshiba has shown off some auto-related products at the Automotive Engineering Expo 2007, including a mobile HD DVD player and a fresh take on touch panels. The high-definition in-dash player is under co-development with Alpine, and is planned for a 2008 release. The LCD is an improvement on traditional touchscreen technology, with no film coating -- which traditionally reduces contrast ratio and brightness -- to handle the user input, instead bundling optical sensors alongside each pixel. These sensors can then detect the shadow of a press during the day, and the reflection of the backlight at night. Toshiba also plans to upgrade that tech to use infrared instead of day/night sensors. Who cares if you can't see the difference between 1080 and 720 on a 7-inch screen, we just want our mobile touchscreen HD now!
Bionic armed woman regains sense of touch
Although Matsushita and Activelink have rolled out a rehabilitating robotic suit aimed at giving handicapped individuals their ability to maneuver their own body parts once again, it appears that Claudia Mitchell has regained her sense of movement using a slightly different apparatus. Touted as wearing the "world's first" bionic arm controlled by thought alone, she now has the ability to carry out simple, albeit quite critical tasks again such as cutting up food. Doctors have re-routed the nerve endings in her arm to "a patch of skin on her chest," essentially enabling her prosthetic arm to respond to her thoughts concerning movement. Furthermore, a recent study of her wrist, hand, and elbow functions revealed that she could perform tasks "four times quicker than with a conventional prosthesis," and the team hopes to install "touch sensors" on the artificial hand in order to allow for tactile feedback in the future. Claudia seems to be understandably thrilled with the results thus far, as it even allows her to accomplish tasks such as putting on makeup and feeding herself -- but we're slightly disappointed that she apparently hasn't given a round of Wii Sports a go to build up those oh-so-crucial hand-eye coordination skills, but we're sure that challenge is just around the bend.[Via Digg]
Samsung SCH-W559 touts vibrating VibeTonz touchscreen
Although Immersion's VibeTonz technology has been integrated into various Samsung handsets in the past, the shakin' technology was previously limited to ring tone and gaming enhancements. Today, however, Samsung is launching the keypad-less SCH-W559, which is the self-proclaimed "world's first" handset to utilize the VibeTonz system as a means of tactile feedback. The unit's QVGA touchscreen is meant to be a hands-on experience, and whether you use a stylus or the tips of your finger, the phone will provide a vibrating cue, which can be adjusted and customized within the phone's software, whenever you touch a virtual button. Immersion claims that its technology allows the on-screen buttons to feel more like "mechanical keys" rather than just a sheet of plastic. The device will be launching solely on China Unicom initially, will support both CDMA / GSM networks, and will feature a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, handwriting recognition capability, and audio / video playback functions to boot. Of course, users will be able to pimp out their ringtones with integrated buzzing, and while we're not sure how much Samsung plans on charging for the rumbler, we can't wait for it to start shaking things up here on American soil.[Thanks, Peter S.]
Tactile display could convey signals on soldiers' backs
Although glitzy, stat-filled jerseys are certainly sufficient ways to get information off your chest (ahem), a new vibrating vest could give "body language" an entirely new meaning. Joining the air-conditioned and insulating renditions, this snazzy vest features a "tactile display" on the back, which is created by 16 small vibrating motors that are connected to an internal wireless control unit. The jacket "writes symbols and messages on its wearer's back," and while the actual writing resembles Braille more than text, it can supposedly be used to "send important commands to soldiers or firefighters, warning them of imminent danger when ordinary radios cannot be used." Commands are beamed to the vests via a wirelessly-enabled computer, and can stealthily inform platoons to stop, look in a specific direction, run, or slow down. The US Army is partially funding the research, as it hopes to investigate different ways to communicate when hand signals and / or radio transmissions aren't effective. During initial testing, results have shown nearly flawless interpretation by participants, and while we're not exactly sure when we can expect rumble-equipped gear to grace our armed forces, the problem of "excess noise from the motors" has to be quelled before hitting the battlefield.[Via BoingBoing]
