TouchEngine
TouchEngine is a new human-interface module that reproduces tactile experiences. Touch panels in combination with LCDs and other devices are commonplace, but their primary drawback is that they don't respond with the kind of feedback provided by a mechanical switch like people expect.Essentially, TouchEngine recreates a tactile sensation using a piezoelectric actuator that causes the touch panel to vibrate. The actuator is constructed by sandwiching thin piezoceramic film between adhesive electrodes, so that it can be used to implement low-voltage drives for mobile devices and to reproduce a range of tactile patterns. Structually, the actuator can be implemented very compactly and it can be incorporated in all sorts of mobile devices as well as stationary equipment.
One way to create feedback in response to pressure on a touch panel would be to use a actual mechanical switch or to use a tiny motor which generates vibration linked to the input. The problem with this approach is that feedback from a vibration motor causes the entire device to vibrate. This conveys vibration to the whole hand holding the device and not just the fingertip, which results in a disagreeable sensation that is completely different from the click of a button. By contrast, TouchEngine only causes the touch panel to vibrate, and by using highly applicable piezoelectric actuator that reproduces sharp responses, TouchEngine reproduces, most natural click sensations.
One way to create feedback in response to pressure on a touch panel would be to use a actual mechanical switch or to use a tiny motor which generates vibration linked to the input. The problem with this approach is that feedback from a vibration motor causes the entire device to vibrate. This conveys vibration to the whole hand holding the device and not just the fingertip, which results in a disagreeable sensation that is completely different from the click of a button. By contrast, TouchEngine only causes the touch panel to vibrate, and by using highly applicable piezoelectric actuator that reproduces sharp responses, TouchEngine reproduces, most natural click sensations.
TouchEngine is featured in the practice portion of the Virtual Surgery exhibit at Sony Wonder Technology Lab.