Touch screen technology is being developed that would allow people to “feel” physical objects when shopping online, including, for example, the texture of the material of a garment.
Cynthia Hipwell, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University, leads a group working on mapping finger-device interactions. They are expected to contribute to the development of technology beyond touch detection and response
The ultimate goal of human-machine interface development is to enable touch screen devices to provide a richer touch-based experience for users by to enable technology to mimic the feel of physical objects.
According to Hipwell, the possible areas of implementation can be diverse. From virtual reality to tactile dashboards and displays on vehicles and other devices to a virtual shopping experience, applications can appear in many ways. It is also not a question of the benefit of such a capability if, for example, users could feel the texture of the material of the selected products before purchasing.
“This would allow us to actually feel the textures, buttons, sliders and buttons on the screen. such technology could be used for interactive touch screen-based displays, but one of the holy grails would certainly be if the touch could be brought into the shop so that the texture of fabrics and other products could be felt, ”Hridgewell quoted Knowridge magazine as saying.
The professor explained that in current touch screen technology, “touch” is essentially for the benefit of the screen rather than the user. However, with the advent and improvement of increasingly sophisticated haptic technology, the relationship between the user and the device can become reciprocal.
The addition of touch as a sensory input would ultimately enrich virtual environments and expand defined communication space. “If we look at virtual experiences, they are currently primarily sound and visual based, which can lead to audiovisual overload,” says Hipwell.
The researcher believes that if we can bring touch into the human-machine interface , it can bring much more ability, much more realism, and reduce this overload. Haptic effects can be used to draw attention to something easier to find or do, with a lower cognitive load.
Hipwell and his team approach research in such a way that the interface between the user’s finger and the device is multiphysical — deals with the study of interconnected processes or systems involving several physical fields at the same time. This interface is incredibly complex and varies depending on different users and environmental conditions.
“We examine electrical wetting effects (forces from the applied electric field), electrostatic effects, changes in finger properties, the material properties and surface geometry of the device, the contact mechanics, the movement of the fluid, the charge transport, that is, really everything that happens at the interface, to understand how to design the device more reliable and more powerful, ”said the professor leading the Texas research team.
The ultimate goal of the team is to create predictive models that allow designers to relate the created devices to changes in the user and the environment with maximum haptic impact and minimum sensitivity.
Hipwell predicts that as technology research and development progresses, consumers will see the next few
“I believe that early batteries will definitely appear in the next five years. Then it will only be a question of how mature the technology will be, how advanced it will be, how realistic it will be and how widespread it will become, “the professor said.
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