When Will We Get Tactile Touch Screens?
Key Takeaways
Sydney Butler
Tactile or haptic touch screens incorporate touch feedback for an
immersive user experience. These screens, still in development, utilize
technologies like electroosmotic pumps to create physical-like buttons
on the screen. Despite promising applications, there's no definitive
timeline for their introduction into mainstream tech like smartphones,
tablets, and car interfaces. The potential revolution in tactile
feedback could revitalize the currently stagnant touchscreen technology
market.
In the era of flat touch screens, tactile feedback remains a missing
link. How soon will we feel virtual buttons under our fingers? Let's
dive into the science, applications, and expected arrival of tactile
touch screens in our everyday tech.
What Are Tactile Touch Screens?
Tactile or haptic touch screens aim to create a more immersive and
intuitive user experience by incorporating touch feedback into the
interaction process. Unlike traditional touch screens that respond to
finger taps and gestures but offer no physical feedback, tactile touch
screens can create the sensation of pressing a button, rotating a dial,
or performing other physical actions directly on the screen.
The Science and Engineering Behind Tactile Touch Screens
So how do tactile touch screens work? A great example comes from
researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Future Interfaces Group, who
have developed an innovative OLED screen technology. This technology
uses electroosmotic pumps (EEOPs) to move liquids via electrical fields,
creating pop-up buttons on the screen. Combined with a thin liquid
reservoir and a flexible surface structure under the screen, these
technologies can inflate specific screen areas to create tactile buttons.
The tactile buttons created by this technology are not just for
show---they are solid enough to feel real when pressed, providing a
sensation similar to that of physical buttons. The technology is still
under development, with limitations including the ability to create only
predetermined shapes and sizes. However, the Future Interfaces Group is
actively working to overcome these limitations and improve the technology.
While tactile touch screen technology is still in its developmental
stages, the potential applications are exciting. For example, the Future
Interfaces Group's technology could potentially change how we work and
play on touchscreen devices. Imagine performing office work on your
tablet without attaching a physical keyboard, or playing mobile games
with tactile touchscreen buttons. The technology could inflate specific
parts of the screen depending on the app, creating a user experience
tailored to each specific task.
All the way back in 2013, Disney's research division showed off touch
screens that could reproduce 3D textures, which means that you can feel
the roughness of an on-screen object as you touch it. This magic uses a
method known as "electrovibration" to trick the skin on your fingers
into believing it's touching a 3D texture. Unlike the inflatable
solution above, the screen itself stays perfectly flat.
When Can I Buy a Tactile Touch Screen?
So, we've got this cutting-edge tactile touchscreen technology on the
horizon, and it's all very exciting. But when can we actually get our
hands on it?
Well, that's where things get a bit cloudy. We don't have a firm
timeline yet. Adoption by big-name manufacturers is still a "wait and
see" scenario. But the potential of this tech is clear as day. It brings
together the tangible security of physical buttons with the versatility
of touch screens. It's easy to imagine its application across a broad
range of devices - from smartphones to PCs, tablets, and even car
interfaces.
If we're being honest, touchscreen devices have become quite boring in
recent years, as there's little need to do anything wacky. Folding
phones are currently the height of being exotic, and that technology
doesn't seem to be making waves anymore, either. Bringing real tactile
feedback to touch screens, on the other hand, promises to be a real
revolution.
https://www.howtogeek.com/894140/when-will-we-get-tactile-touch-screens/
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