In October 2013, Disney
Research, Pittsburgh released a video and a description of an algorithm that,
when applied, gives flat surface touch screens tactile features. These include
bumps, ridges, edges, protrusions, texture, etc. This algorithm, named Tesla
Touch uses electronic pulses to simulate friction on the glass surface of a
touch screen.
In the press release, the director of Disney
Research, Pittsburgh’s Interaction Group explains the new technology:
“Our
brain perceives the 3D bump on a surface mostly from information that it
receives via skin stretching. Therefore, if we can artificially stretch skin on
a finger as it slides on the touch screen, the brain will be fooled into
thinking an actual physical bump is on a touch screen even though the touch
surface is completely smooth.”
By creating and
controlling this artificial friction, fingertips “feel” textures on a smooth,
glass surface. According to the press release, “a broad variety of visual
artifacts thus can be dynamically enhanced with tactile feedback that adjusts
as the visual display changes.”
Touch screen technology
is now commonplace in the United States. Some provide haptic feedback that is
traditionally played back whenever a particular interaction occurs (a vibration
when you hit a certain button, for example). Disney revolutionizes this idea by
removing the limitations of only having one or two effects. Instead, they “use
a set of controls that make it possible to tune tactile effects to a specific
visual artifact on the fly.” This improvement has implications for many fields.
The three I believe to be the most relevant are retail, education, and
communication.
"A virtual keyboard on a touch screen equipped with Tesla Touch would allow users to feel the location of the keys and learn how to touch type. When users click on a file and drag it into a folder, they would be able to feel the weight or size of the file and know when it had successfully reached its destination. Larger files such as movies could also be made to feel heavier than smaller text files. Artists drawing on their touch devices could feel paint and paper."
Implications
in Retail
Customers would be able
to feel the upholstery on a piece of furniture before they order it online from
a foreign producer. Second-hand sellers could easily assure customers that the
product they are selling is free from dents and scratches without the hassle of
face-to-face negotiation. Major retailers could determine the quality of
produce (by touch!) before approving a shipment from a different continent.
Implications
in Education
iPads are currently used in many Special Education classrooms where they help students who have illegible handwriting, attention deficit disorders, and developing motor skills. Although they have been beneficial, enriching the iPad with Tesla Touch could increase their attentiveness and retention of new information.
Students could go on “field trips” to museums where they could touch the fossils and feel the strokes of paint on Van Gogh’s famous “Starry Night”.
Students could go on “field trips” to museums where they could touch the fossils and feel the strokes of paint on Van Gogh’s famous “Starry Night”.
Implications
in Communication
I find this technology
to breach many communication barriers currently holding touch screen technology
back. Most importantly, however, I see this product as bringing people who are
visually impaired or blind into the 21st century.
“For blind people, accessing touch screen
interfaces remains a significant challenge, as most touch screens rely on
visual interaction and are not usable by touch and audio alone.”
“Despite this
significant problem, touch screens are increasingly found in consumer
technologies such as mobile devices, home electronics, and computers in public spaces
(e.g., ATMs, airport ticket kiosks, and interactive maps). The inaccessibility
of touch screens can have profound effects, preventing otherwise independent
blind people from performing routine tasks without help, which can lead to
feelings of embarrassment. Blind consumers have responded to the spread of
inaccessible technologies through press events, and have organized lawsuits and
boycotts. Furthermore, inaccessible touch screens not only impact millions of
blind people (more than1.3 million in the U.S. alone), but also seniors and
others with low vision, as well as other people who use touch screens
eyes-free, such as while multitasking.”
Tesla Touch technology
would improve communication for the blind. The 21st century world
would be reopened to them. At its simplest, they would be able to read a book
in Braille on an e-reader. Further, they could open any document, translate it
into Braille and read it without having to ask for help. They would be able to
better contribute to society as a whole by independently accessing the
internet. The influence of Tesla Touch with the blind community would be
priceless.
As this breakthrough
technology undergoes development and refinement, it’s easy to imagine where it
will go next. How long will it be before we can feel a temperature difference
on a touch screen? How soon will we be able to feel moisture?
Ivan Poupyrev, the Senior Research Assistant in charge of this project, elaborated on the importance of touch in conveying emotion in communication:
"When we roll a pencil in our fingers, we can very quickly and precisely re-adjust the 3-D positions and grasping forces of our fingers by relying entirely on tactile sensation. It also allows us to understand fine object properties where vision fails; textures and tiny surface variations can be accurately detected by touch. Touch has also strong emotional impact--running a finger into a splinter, touching a cat's fur, or immersing fingers into unknown sticky substance all bring intense, though very different, emotional responses.
I look forward to seeing how this technology can continue to enhance our world and our communication with the blind.
