Indian Institute of Technology Madras researchers have developed a new touchscreen display technology through which a user can feel the textures from images as the finger moves across the touch surface. Existing touchscreens can only sense your location of finger touch.
Called ‘iTad,’ for interactive Touch Active Display, it is the next generation in Touch Display technology. Through the use of software, researchers can create different textures such as crisp edges, switches and rich textures that range from smooth to gritty. A new level of interaction comes alive on smooth physical surfaces.
There are no moving parts in iTad. Instead, an in-built multi-touch sensor detects the movement of the finger and surface friction is adjusted via software. By controlling electric fields via a physical phenomenon known as ‘electroadhesion,’ the software modulates friction locally as fingers travel across a smooth plane, says a release.
The research was led by M Manivannan, CoE on Virtual Reality and Haptics, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras. Merkel Haptics, a start-up incubated at the IIT Madras Research Park, has been working with the Touchlab researchers to take the technology forward.
Improving functionality
“We can touch and feel things before we buy from e-commerce platforms. Around 30 per cent of returns to online shopping are due to the mismatch of user experience, their expectation is different by looking at the images online,” said Manivannan.
PV Padmapriya, CEO, Merkel Haptics, said, “The prototype from the Touchlab can be made into a product in a year’s time. Our aim is to make a small device, similar to a computer mouse, on everyone’s desk to add to the experience. We have been field testing and providing valuable feedback to the researchers at IIT Madras on improving the functionality of the technology.”
Key applications of ‘iTad’ include automotive, consumer electronics, digital signage, home automation, medical, industrial, gaming, and aid for the visually challenged.
Until now, the touch feedback has been limited to vibrations such as the one in mobile phones, called ‘Vibrotactile.’ A resonating voice coil is used for providing the smartphone’s familiar buzz of alerts and confirmations. There are no moving pieces in surface haptics as iTad is a fully-integrated solution with a single controller and solid-state actuator, the release said.