"Haptics doesn't just close the gaps in our current computer interfaces -- it can open up new possibilities."

- Popular Mechanics, April 2008    

Welcome to the first edition of Haptics Times, news on haptics technology (touch feedback) for product designers and researchers. Haptics has definitely moved into the mainstream, currently at work in over 35 million mobile phones, hundreds of millions of gaming consoles and peripherals, 7 million cars, and now appearing in that wildly popular interface -- the touchscreen. In this issue, we focus on haptics for the touchscreen. Future issues will focus on its use in other devices.

If you’re not familiar with Immersion, we are the world’s leading supplier of haptics technology, with our solutions used in gaming products from Sony, Microsoft, and Logitech; phones from LG and Samsung; and cars from BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen. If you’re a product designer wanting the latest information on how haptics is being used to improve the human-machine interface, or if you’re a researcher wondering what questions need addressing, we can help:

1) Tell us what kind of articles you’d like to see here.

2) Continue receiving Haptic Times by adding Immersion to your safe senders list.

3) Let us know if you are interested in hands-on workshops on haptic products, haptic industrial and user interface design, human factors studies, and other details.

Danny Grant and Mike Levin
Editors
research@immersion.com

P.S. If you received a copy of this issue from a friend or colleague and would like to subscribe, please write to us at research@immersion.com

Momentum: The Mobile Phone Market

Haptic phones are proliferating and sales are brisk, but the wireless telecom industry has only just started to develop and leverage the power that haptics can provide to the mobile phone user.

At Large: Visteon and 3M at Work

One of the most promising applications for haptics is in the car interior where the sense of touch helps compensate for noise and the need for very focused visual attention.

Feedback: Haptic Types and Tools

You’re interested in knowing more about haptics so you’ll know when to recommend it. Here’s a quick overview on haptic response capabilities, components, and tools.

Immersion: Support for Your Haptics Research

Haptics research has never been more important. Immersion can help you expand the scope and reach of your haptics research with haptic smartphones and touch monitors.

Research: Touchscreen Smartphones Get Smarter

This smartphone study compared use of a mechanical keyboard (Palm Treo 750) to touchscreens both with and without haptic feedback (Samsung i718), both in a laboratory and while riding on a subway train. It concluded that haptics reduced errors by 20 percent and decreased time to enter phrases by 10 percent over nonhaptic touchscreens. Hoggan, Brewster, and Johnston: Investigating the Effectiveness of Tactile Feedback for Mobile Touchscreens

to the top

IMMERSION CORPORATION
801 Fox Lane | San Jose, CA 95131 | T: 1 408.467.1900 | www.immersion.com