Touch Screens and Touch Surfaces are Enriched by Haptic Force-Feedback

Greek word haptikos (from haptesthai, to grasp or touch). For touch user interfaces, the term typically refers to a tactile sensation or force-feedback that users experience when touching the surface. Conventional touch screens do not provide the tactile sensation of mechanical buttons and knobs, resulting in a less satisfying experience. Haptics technology can reproduce the same feel or tactile sensation as mechanical buttons and knobs or generate new sensations not previously possible. Tactile sensation can be more emotional and personal than sight or sound and can therefore enrich the user experience and perception of the interaction. Haptics have been utilized in automotive applications for some time in rotary controls with joystick types of motion. Conventional rotary knobs are limited with fixed detents (“bumps”) and degrees of rotation (endstops). BMW’s iDrive, launched in 2001, was the first haptic interface that provided different feelings (feedback) for different functions with one control. The device operated with rotary and four-axis joystick motions to control the functions on the display. The concept has evolved into the COMAND controller in the Mercedes S-Class, the Multi Media Interface (MMI) in most Audi models, and the Remote Touch controller in several Lexus models. Some automotive OEMs believe that these types of rotary/joystick inputs are similar to computer mouse controls and provide more intuitive and comfortable operation than touch screens. Haptics was presented as a key enabler for touch user interfaces in the article “TactileFeedback Solutions for an Enhanced User Experience” in the October 2009 issue of Information Display. This article expands on the information in that piece and presents some new information on additional haptic technologies and the use of haptic force-feedback in automotive touch-screen applications.