Nokia have filed a patent for a tactile feedback trouchscreen which the idea is to create a “variable and controllable user perceived surface roughness or friction coefficient”. This system works by closely spacing protuberances that are controlled by voltage. Crank up the power and the surface gets rougher basically. The surface runs completely smooth when no voltage is applied.
What all this achieves is a level of tactile feedback on the screen of a phone or any other device with a screen. The idea is brilliant as it can be used in so many ways such as creating a grid on your phone for a keypad as well as various other circular or elliptic shapes. The protuberances contain a transparent fluid compartment which are sealed/covered by an elastic sheet. The sheet then bulges out a little when the voltage is adjusted. Each of these little tubes can be controlled individually so that an array of different surface textures can be created.
The system is to be built by Nokia and named Haptikos. I look forwards to seeing where screen technology goes.
Via: Gizmodo and Unwiredview
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