haptics

URC rolls out haptic-feedback universal remote

The URC MX-5000 universal remote looks like a typical universal remote control. But this $1,500 clicker is a rare gem packed with a 2.7-inch haptic feedback touch screen, Wi-Fi, and radio frequency communication. Haptic? Think of it as making onscreen keys behave like real buttons with the familiar tactile feel and audible clicks, a feature available on some touch-screen mobile phones. There's no official word on the actual implementation, and details on the MX-5000's full capabilities are pretty lean.

Even if you're willing to meet the ridiculously marked-up asking price, this is one remote you … Read more

Apple patents point to haptics, fingerprints, RFID

Three patent applications by Apple were published Thursday, and they cover technologies including haptics, fingerprint recognition, and RFID.

The haptic feedback patent, if approved, would bring the iPhone (and possibly other Apple devices) in line with rival handsets, which already provide localized tactile feedback in, for example, an onscreen soft keyboard.

The fingerprint recognition patent does not really have to do with authentication and security, … Read more

SmartTouch puts some muscle into haptic technology

SAN JOSE, Calif.--Artificial Muscle believes that when you touch your computer or phone, it should touch back.

The Silicon Valley company is working on putting haptic feedback in a variety of devices, from laptops to touch-screen phones. Though forced feedback isn't a new concept, the way this company is going about it is different. It showed off some of its technologies at the Interactive Displays 2009 conference here.

Instead of using the vibration motor in a phone to give feedback from a screen, the company has developed and patented an electroactive polymer that expands when it receives an … Read more

Life after touch - how will the Apple patent impact innovation?

By Sam Martin, frog design

I’m no patent expert, but it’s clear after a little research that patent laws were put into place for two reasons: 1) they want to encourage secretive inventors to stop stashing their cool ideas under a mattress somewhere and make them public and 2) they want to rock the boat. Apple has never been accused of keeping new ideas under wraps, but by securing their new patent for “multifunction” touch technology like pinch, rotation, and swipe, they have certainly rocked the boat. We won’t know how or if the boat will be … Read more

Samsung unveils P3 touch-screen MP3 player

Samsung spilled the beans on the new P3 MP3 player at the company's CES 2009 press conference. As an update to Samsung's popular P2, the P3 shares many of its predecessor's features, including a 3-inch WQVGA touch screen, DNSe sound enhancement, audio and video playback, photo viewer, FM radio, voice recording, and Bluetooth capabilities such as phone pairing and stereo audio streaming.

Unlike the P2, the Samsung P3 uses a colorful new user interface dubbed "EmoTure" that emphasizes personalization. The body of the P3 is made from die-cast metal, available in black or silver, measuring … Read more

Microsoft, Immersion settle legal dispute

Haptic technology maker Immersion said Tuesday it has settled its legal dispute with Microsoft.

The maker of tactile feedback technology for mice and joysticks sued both Sony and Microsoft in 2002 for patent infringement. Though both suits were settled, Microsoft filed a separate suit against Immersion in June 2007 and asked the court to enforce a portion of a sublicensing agreement between the two companies that stated Microsoft would get a portion of Immersion's settlement it received from Sony. Immersion countersued, alleging Microsoft had breached a confidentiality agreement.

More than a year later, Microsoft and Immersion have called a … Read more

Cowon goes haptic with P5 video player

Cowon has released photos and specs of a new portable video player dubbed the P5. As a successor to their Q5W mega-gadget released last year, the P5 adds a few new tricks to the Q5W's features and wraps it all up in a less intimidating design.

Offered in silver, red, and black, the Cowon P5 includes a 5-inch touch screen with a 800x480 resolution and a new haptic feedback feature. In the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink tradition of the Q5W, the Cowon P5 includes stereo Bluetooth, FM radio, TV-output (component, composite, and S-Video), stereo speakers, USB and USB-host ports. Noticeably missing from … Read more

Rumor: Apple to add tactile feedback to iPhone

An anonymous Apple employee says company executives are in talks with Immersion to license its haptic technology for use in the iPhone, according to a report at Palluxo.com.

Haptic technology gives people sensory feedback--in the form of a vibration or pressure--when they use a touchscreen. Essentially, it makes touching a key on a touchscreen more akin to pressing a real button. Right now, the iPhone interface does not have that kind of interactivity, which can make using the touchscreen more challenging because there is no sensory indication that a key has been touched and the phone has registered it. … Read more

Shaking hands with a virtual world

Already in use by movie animation studios and astronauts in training, tactile technology is taking off. Touch screens, cell phone vibrations, and joystick shudders are just barely the beginning. From device interface to complex surgery, haptics translates human touch into electronic action.

For a broad introduction to haptics, read the Popular Mechanics story here: "How haptics will change the way we interact with machines"