Weird and Wacky Engineering
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WKetel
A little bit of haptics is good, in that it allows one to know that the machine ...
ReneCardenas
I wonder if there is potential for material fatigue, since after all is a ...
Sensing a touchy-feely haptic future
Sylvie Barak
8/24/2012 5:49 PM EDT
The Piezo differentiator
Siegel said this enabled precision actuation for high-definition haptics, with a fair number of advantages over rival haptic technologies like Eccentric Rotating Mass (ERM) and Linear Resonant Actuator (LRA), including faster response times, higher bandwidth and a wider possible range of effects.
These effects, said Siegel, could be used by device makers as a differentiator when it came to building a tactile experience around gaming, messaging and playing virtual instruments.
Eventually, he said, it could also lead to being able to simulate the feeling of pressing actual buttons, sliding one’s finger through water or touching a fabric through one’s phone.
“Seeing how far you could go and what you can achieve with Piezo is surprising,” said Siegel explaining how the science of haptics could actually be divided into three separate components; mechanical design, electrical design and software integration.
In terms of the mechanical design, the actuator has to be selected and fitted to the device to maximize mechanical coupling and vibration. The electric design consists of the driver and is the interface between the processor and the actuator. The software generates the haptics waveforms and connects the user interface (touch screen, buttons, etc.) to the haptics system. The software resides on a processor or microcontroller.
There’s also a certain elegance to TI’s Piezo design, said Siegel, because unlike many other haptic technologies, it is almost silent, without any audible buzz.
That said, Siegel wouldn’t be drawn into talking down his firm’s haptic competitors, noting “the only people who are doing it wrong are the people who aren’t doing it.”
Prices, he said, had been steadily decreasing in the haptics space, and indeed, TI’s Piezo haptic driver costs something in the region of $3, depending on volume, for the entire solution.
There’s still some way to go, however, and other technologies emerging that might change the way the industry feels about haptics. One example is the rise of tactus technology, which actually morphs physical screens by having a liquid layer underneath.
Siegel couldn’t say whether tactus may play a part in TI’s future, but one thing was abundantly clear; with touch screens rapidly replacing traditional user interfaces, taking touch back into our own hands will be increasingly important.
Siegel said this enabled precision actuation for high-definition haptics, with a fair number of advantages over rival haptic technologies like Eccentric Rotating Mass (ERM) and Linear Resonant Actuator (LRA), including faster response times, higher bandwidth and a wider possible range of effects.
These effects, said Siegel, could be used by device makers as a differentiator when it came to building a tactile experience around gaming, messaging and playing virtual instruments.
Eventually, he said, it could also lead to being able to simulate the feeling of pressing actual buttons, sliding one’s finger through water or touching a fabric through one’s phone.
“Seeing how far you could go and what you can achieve with Piezo is surprising,” said Siegel explaining how the science of haptics could actually be divided into three separate components; mechanical design, electrical design and software integration.
In terms of the mechanical design, the actuator has to be selected and fitted to the device to maximize mechanical coupling and vibration. The electric design consists of the driver and is the interface between the processor and the actuator. The software generates the haptics waveforms and connects the user interface (touch screen, buttons, etc.) to the haptics system. The software resides on a processor or microcontroller.
There’s also a certain elegance to TI’s Piezo design, said Siegel, because unlike many other haptic technologies, it is almost silent, without any audible buzz.
That said, Siegel wouldn’t be drawn into talking down his firm’s haptic competitors, noting “the only people who are doing it wrong are the people who aren’t doing it.”
Prices, he said, had been steadily decreasing in the haptics space, and indeed, TI’s Piezo haptic driver costs something in the region of $3, depending on volume, for the entire solution.
There’s still some way to go, however, and other technologies emerging that might change the way the industry feels about haptics. One example is the rise of tactus technology, which actually morphs physical screens by having a liquid layer underneath.
Siegel couldn’t say whether tactus may play a part in TI’s future, but one thing was abundantly clear; with touch screens rapidly replacing traditional user interfaces, taking touch back into our own hands will be increasingly important.
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Bob.Jones1952
8/25/2012 3:55 PM EDT
An alternative haptics technology uses electromagnetic rather than piezo exciters. Bending-wave haptic feedback devices accurately simulate the feeling of a mechanical button press, over multiple levels if desired, and can deliver the response to anywhere on a panel or touch screen or be programmed to give a specific response at a specific set of co-ordinates. For example, it's possible to simulate a dual level button of the type used on cameras - pressing part way to focus then a little further to take a shot. A further advantage of this technology is that the same exciters can simultaneously deliver an audio response from a flat panel to replace the eliminate for separate loud speakers in consumer electronic products. A touch screen can become a speaker, for example. Bending wave haptics is touch technology agnostic - it can be used with capacitive, resistive or piezoelectric touch screens.
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hm
8/26/2012 9:43 AM EDT
Purpose of digital technology was to simplify product design. Will introduction of haptics technology makes trends in reverse direction? For small product, it may be better to use conventional buttons or switches.
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Jon Green
8/27/2012 6:21 PM EDT
If haptics technology sophisticated enough to give a sensation of texture is to become a regular feature of mobile devices, there will have to be a standardisation process.
Drawing your finger across a virtual surface must feel the same everywhere: high-resolution haptics won't capture its market if the same command makes one device seem like smooth concrete, and another like coarse sandpaper.
That's not going to be easy. Manufacturers will be using different technologies, and yet the programmers will need to rely on a reliable frequency range, and the ability to control depth of oscillation, and ideally also the area being vibrated.
Haptics has the potential to open whole new markets and app types. It's now up to manufacturers to collaborate to make sure it can function reliably and consistently, so that developers can risk new, large, ground-breaking projects.
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agk
8/28/2012 8:09 AM EDT
When this technology becomes advanced what can be made? My imagination is by combining with a 3D projection TV which projects in space, viewers can go into this space and feel themselves very much as if they are there.
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poconoarmchairreview
8/28/2012 1:45 PM EDT
"it is almost silent, without any audible buzz"
It's completely silent, with just a little buzz.
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ReneCardenas
8/29/2012 7:53 PM EDT
I wonder if there is potential for material fatigue, since after all is a mechanical force applied to panel surface. Can anyone shine some knowledge this way?
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WKetel
9/2/2012 8:44 PM EDT
A little bit of haptics is good, in that it allows one to know that the machine did in fact get your input, but beyond that it is a lot more stuff to fail and waste power, all to appease those without the ability to focus long enough to understand that something is happening. Just a lot more hardware to consume both resources and engineering talent. But it tends toward "product differentiation", the mother of many evils.
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