Disney Research Invents Haptic Touchscreen and Reinvents Communication with the Blind

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.

Others are discussed in NBC’s evaluation of the product. They say:

"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”.

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 21^st century.

Microsoft recently did a study on how most touch screens remain inaccessible to the blind.

 “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 21^st 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.