Imagining a more touchful screen
Technology has enabled us to be more connected than ever before, to stay in touch with others and with the world. Nowhere is this nexus of reciprocal communication more deeply felt than with our smartphones. These devices are with us nearly every step of our daily lives, acting as our most steadfast communication partner and a direct channel to our personal and professional worlds.
Separation Anxiety
The psychological phenomena of “separation anxiety” used to refer to the stress caused by distance from one’s mother, or other person who is a primal source of our sense of security. Today, separation anxiety seems to be more rampant than ever, but it’s no longer about those formative people in our lives. It’s about our phones. You know the feeling: You reach in your bag to find only your keys, credit cards, and some old dinner mints. You pat your thigh and discover an empty pocket. We feel for our phones, but they are not there. The sense of panic is palpable.
See me, hear me, feel me.
It’s no wonder that we’ve developed such deep relationships with our smartphones and other devices. Consider all the senses that are triggered during everyday interactions with your phone. We look at colorful, high resolution screens displaying a cornucopia of information; and our phones look back, watching us and our worlds with not one, but two cameras, to fully understand us. We listen to music and the voices of people we care about; and our phones, in return, listen to us — with multiple microphones to better understand our voice in the context of the world around us. It’s a reciprocal relationship.
But something is missing. When I touch my phone, it doesn’t touch back.
Our relationship really isn’t complete, is it? When I touch my phone, all I feel is cold, smooth glass. Yes, it can vibrate to get my attention. And yes, some phones can even “tap” with a piezo device or linear resonate actuator. The industry is making significant progress. But it’s still a piece of glass. The surface is flat and smooth. Beautiful, and pristine, but without soul.
We are living in a world marked by enormous advances in technology where displays boast more megapixels every day, sound is getting more surrounding, and VR headsets are bringing immersive experiences into our homes. Why, then, are we are lagging behind in our ability to incorporate touch in a meaningful way?
The future is touch. And together, we can shape how that future feels.
Haptics is the science of touch. New haptic technologies are elevating our senses — whether it’s entering another dimension with mid-air touch, immersing in personal physical audio in order to feel sound, or moving beyond vibration on a touchscreen.
Surface Haptics is a new branch of haptic technology that promises to dynamically change the feel of a surface, expressing textures and features. This is the specialty at Tanvas. By starting with first principles of science, we can control and modulate the friction of your finger on a screen.
Tanvas is currently exploring the many ways in which touch can be incorporated into our touchscreens in order to feel textures, interact with objects, and create experiences we have just begun to imagine. As we embark on this journey, we’re inviting you to join us at the intersection of human touch, haptic technology, design and creativity.
What do you want to feel? What experiences could be made better? What would you build? Let’s explore the many ways in which the sense of touch is poised to enrich our increasingly connected lives.
