What is Haptics?
Haptics in product design refers to how information can be communicated through the sense of touch using science and technology, so when virtual objects are touched, they seem real and discernible. Haptics for the sense of touch is similar to what displays, and optics are for sight and audio or alarms for hearing. There are many reasons why product designers are exploring the human touch and think it is important to consider haptics in product design.
With 18,000 mechanoreceptors in one hand – 31% of the total amount in the body – our fingers are tremendous tools that engineering product designers are increasingly considering when creating products such as tactile electronic displays, game controllers, smartwatches, smart wearables, and phones.
The word Haptics derives from the Greek word Haptikos, which means a sense of touch. The first-ever haptic technology device was Motorola‘s world’s first vibrating phone, which provided haptic feedback in the form of vibrating sensation.
Haptic technology
Haptic technology refers to techniques and technologies, which uses force, vibration, heat, or motion to imitate tactile sensations through various haptic actuators.
How Haptic Technology Works
Haptic technology works by
combining something that happens in software with a corresponding physical
experience. Those physical experiences are generated by many different
technologies, including instruments that create vibration, force feedback
"rumble packs," air gusts, and even ultrasound beams that you can't
hear but can feel.
To make this easier to understand,
let's look at a specific example. The iPhone has a built-in Taptic Engine,
Apple's custom haptic feedback system. When you do something in software that's
tied to a haptic experience, such as long-pressing the screen or pressing the
Home button, the software triggers a specific vibration pattern in the Taptic
Engine that makes the phone seem to respond to your touch physically.
Another excellent example of
haptic feedback is in a driving video game. If you're in the arcade or your
console controller has haptics, when you drive off the smooth road, the game
software triggers the force feedback engine in your controller to shake and
vibrate, simulating a rough off-road driving experience.
A Few Examples of Haptic
Alerts and Touches
These devices have some common
kinds of haptic feedback:
- Apple screens and mice: Apple has used haptic feedback in its 3D Touch screen technology since the iPhone 6S and its Home buttons since the iPhone 7. It also uses haptics in its Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad.
- Apple Watch notifications and scrolling: The Apple Watch uses haptics to create the little "clicks" felt when scrolling using the Digital Crown. The vibrations used for alerts and turn-by-turn directions also use haptics.
- Arcade game controls: One of the oldest widely-used haptics was in arcade driving and flying games. The manufacturers used haptic technology built into the steering wheel or flight stick for those games to simulate rough roads or choppy flying.
- Car dashboards: Touchscreen car stereos and other car dashboard interfaces use haptics to simulate the experience of pressing buttons and moving switches on older vehicles.
- Flight simulators: Forget video games; the actual machines used to train pilots when they're not in the air use haptic technology to simulate various flying conditions.
- Laptop touchpads: If your laptop touchpad clicks when you press it when the laptop is on but doesn't move at all when it's turned off, it uses haptics. In that case, a haptic system replicates the experience of the click. An actual click isn't haptics since, by definition, haptics simulate tactile experiences.
- Medical training devices: Future surgeons and dentists are increasingly training with sophisticated simulators that include physical haptic feedback to make the training closer to working on actual humans.
- Video game console controllers: Most modern video game consoles like the PS5 include some haptic technology in their controllers in the form of vibrations triggered by in-game events
The Importance of Haptic Technology
In video games, the addition of haptic capabilities is nice to have. It increases the reality of the game and, as a result, the user's satisfaction. But in training and other applications, haptic interfaces are vital. That's because the sense of touch conveys rich and detailed information about an object. When it's combined with other senses, especially sight, touch dramatically increases the amount of information that is sent to the brain for processing. The increase in information reduces user error, as well as the time it takes to complete a task. It also reduces the energy consumption and the magnitudes of contact forces used in a teleoperation situation.
Clearly, Samsung is hoping to capitalize on some of these benefits with the introduction of the Anycall Haptic phone. Nokia will push the envelope even farther when it introduces phones with tactile touchscreens. Yes, such phones will be cool to look at. And, yes, they will be cool to touch. But they will also be easier to use, with the touch-based features leading to fewer input errors and an overall more satisfying experience.
What is haptics on iPhone?
Haptics are any type of technology that gives you a tactile response
— for example, when your phone vibrates. If you use an iPhone, you may be
familiar with Haptic Touch, a feature which vibrates your phone when you
long-press the screen.
How does phone haptics work?
Aside from using a combination of force, vibration, and motions, haptic
technologies use a force feedback loop to manipulate the movement of the
user and go beyond a simple vibration alert. The basic principle of a
haptic sensor is the generation of an electric current that drives a response
to create a vibration.
What are haptic devices?
Haptic devices (or haptic interfaces) are mechanical devices that
mediate communication between the user and the computer. Haptic devices
allow users to touch, feel and manipulate three-dimensional objects in virtual
environments and tele-operated systems.
Which phone has the best haptics?
Google's Pixel phones have by far the best haptics on Android, but even
those devices are far behind Apple.
Who invented haptic technology?
Michael Noll at Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. in the early
1970s and a patent was issued for his invention in 1975.
What is the future of haptics?
The global haptic technology market is estimated to grow at a compounded
growth rate of 12% by 2026.
What is the use of haptics?
Haptic technology is the use of tactile sensations to stimulate the
sense of touch in a user experience.
How many types of haptics are there?
Haptic devices can be grouped into three main types: graspable,
wearable and touchable
Haptic feedback gloves are a wearable device that allow users to experience realistic touch and interactions through advanced tactile feedback. When actuated, haptic sensors within the gloves recreate a realistic sense of touch for users.
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