February 27, 2005
The touchy-feely side of telecoms
Following a previous post a couple of days ago, New Cell Phones Will Reach Out and Slap Someone, thanks to touch sensation technology, called haptics, New Scientist has a lengthy piece on Samsung's new mobile phone as well as other interesting applications of haptics technology.
"Not only will it be able to send images and streaming video, but the phone can vibrate in such a way that you can add the sensation of a playful tickle to your text message, or make the person on the other end of the phone feel as if their handset has slapped them across the face".
Welcome to the world of haptics - the technology of recreating touch and texture through artificial stimuli.
The most widespread use of haptics so far is in video gaming.
HOW IT WILL WORK ON MOBILE PHONES
Samsung's phone is the first mass-market use of haptics (to launch in March). When you send a text message you can add one of a number of sensations from a menu.
When the person reads the message, "vibrotactile" motors in their phone are activated. These are basically more complex versions of the motors that allow many mobile phones to vibrate when ringing. The precise frequency and amplitude of the vibrations generated by the motors simulates the desired sensation
The haptic technology behind game pads and the Samsung phones has been developed by Immersion of San Jose, California, US, which is one of the leading companies in this fast-growing field (see graphic).
OTHER APPLICATIONS
From these simple beginnings, analysts think the technology will have many applications, for example, in haptic gloves and pads designed to give online shoppers a feel for products.
Imagine being able to feel the quality of a cashmere sweater before you buy it, experience the roadholding of a car or feel the finish of a piece of furniture.
Just like graphics and sound, touch can be coded as digital bits. They are sent in packets over the internet or a cellphone network then reassembled or "rendered" in some form at the other end.
For haptics to reach their full potential, the technology also has to be able to convey a wide range of tactile sensations. Sile O'Modhrain at Media Lab Europe in Dublin, Ireland, says that "pre-packaged" haptics have barely scratched the surface.
For example, a student at MIT has built a phone that can transmit a squeeze of varying strength. Accelerometers in the phone measure the strength and speed of the squeeze and reproduce the effect at the other end of the line, making it feel a bit like holding hands. Much of the technology needed to achieve such effects already exists, O'Modhrain says."
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