NEC Touchscreen Tactile Feedback Prototype

The touch screen on the surface looks the same, flat, big, but don’t really offer much of a “touch” experience right now. Apart from tiny vibration motors that generate rudimentary haptic feedback, we’re still just poking and prodding thin slabs of glass.

NEC offers a new take on touchscreen tactile feedback and how to change that: a panel that actually moves.

The prototype they’ve built in conjunction with the Tokyo Institute of Technology is a tad on the bulky side right now, but it’s functional. Using a set of small motors and pulleys, the screen jitters back and forth in response to on-screen events — effectively pushing and pulling your finger while it remains in contact.

Clearly this type of setup isn’t as ideal for adding tactile feedback to a tablet or smartphone as something like Senseg Tixel, which creates friction feedback using an electrostatic field. It’s much less cumbersome and doesn’t introduce moving parts — parts which would no doubt add to a portable device’s battery woes.

Still, in certain settings the NEC prototype may actually work just fine. Kiosk computers or in-dash systems in vehicles, for example, might be a good fit. A touchscreen control panel that actually feels like you’re sliding a lever or spinning a knob with your finger sounds pretty useful.

One thing’s for certain: the day of high-latency touchscreens that offer no feedback whatsoever are numbered. With companies like Microsoft, Senseg, and NEC all plugging away at technologies that will improve touch interaction, the next couple of years should yield some very cool (and useful) new developments.