haptic technology headmounted display and wired gloves rumble packs for controllers such as this dreamcast jump pack provide haptic feedback through users hands haptic technology or kinesthetic communication recreates the sense of touch by applying forces vibrations or motions to the user this mechanical stimulation can be used to assist in the creation of virtual objects in a computer simulation to control such virtual objects and to enhance the remote control of machines and devices telerobotics haptic devices may incorporate tactile sensors that measure forces exerted by the user on the interface most researchers distinguish three sensory systems related to sense of touch in humans cutaneous kinesthetic and haptic all perceptions mediated by cutaneous andor kinesthetic sensibility are referred to as tactual perception the sense of touch may be classified as passive and active haptic technology has made it possible to investigate how the human sense of touch works by allowing the creation of controlled haptic virtual objects the word haptic from the greek haptikos means pertaining to the sense of touch and comes from the greek verb haptesthai meaning to contact or to touch according to robert lee this sensation is also referred to as 3d touch history one of the earliest applications of haptic technology was in large aircraft that use servomechanism systems to operate control surfaces such systems tend to be oneway meaning external forces applied aerodynamically to the control surfaces are not perceived at the controls here the missing normal forces are simulated with springs and weights in lighter aircraft without servo systems as the aircraft approached a stall the aerodynamic buffeting vibrations was felt in the pilots controls this was a useful warning of a dangerous flight condition this control shake is not felt when servo control systems are used to replace this missing sensory cue the angle of attack is measured and when it approaches the critical stall point a stick shaker is engaged which simulates the response of a simpler control system alternatively the servo force may be measured and the signal directed to a servo system on the control known as force feedback force feedback has been implemented experimentally in some excavators and is useful when excavating mixed material such as large rocks embedded in silt or clay it allows the operator to feel and work around unseen obstacles enabling significant increases in productivity and less risk of damage to the machine the first us patent for a tactile telephone was granted to thomas d shannon in 1973 aura interactor vestin 1994 aura systems launched the interactor vest a wearable forcefeedback device that monitors an audio signal and uses auras patented electromagnetic actuator technology to convert bass sound waves into vibrations that can represent such actions as a punch or kick the interactor vest plugs into the audio output of a stereo tv or vcr and the user is provided with controls that allow for adjusting of the intensity of vibration and filtering out of high frequency sounds the interactor vest is worn over the upper torso and the audio signal is reproduced through a speaker embedded in the vest after selling 400000 of its interactor vest aura began shipping the interactor cushion a device which operates like the vest but instead of being worn its placed against a seat back and the user must lean against it both the vest and the cushion were launched with a price tag of 99 jensens tapin device in 1995 norwegian geir jensen described a wrist watch haptic device with a skin tap mechanism termed tapin it would connect to a mobile phone via bluetooth tappingfrequency patterns would identify callers to a mobile and enable the wearer to respond by selected short messages it was submitted for a governmental innovation contest and received no award it was not pursued or published until recovered in 2015 the tapin device by jensen was devised facing the user to avoid twisting of the wrist see image it would adapt across all mobile phone and watch brands in 2015 apple started to sell a wrist watch which included skin tap sensing of notifications and alerts to mobile phone of the watch wearer implementation vibration the majority of electronics offering haptic feedback uses vibrations and most use a type of eccentric rotating mass erm actuator consisting of an unbalanced weight attached to a motor shaft as the shaft rotates the spinning of this irregular mass causes the actuator and in turn the attached device to shake some newer devices such as apples macbooks and iphones featuring the taptic engine accomplish their vibrations with a linear resonant actuator lra which moves a mass in a reciprocal manner by means of a magnetic voice coil similar to how speaker technology translates ac electrical signals into motion of its speaker cone lras are capable of quicker response times than erms and thus are able to transmit more accurate haptic imagery piezoelectric actuators are also employed to produce vibrations and offer even more precise motion with less noise and in a smaller platform but require higher voltages than the erm and lra implementations and may be more fragile force feedback some devices use motors to manipulate the movement of a peripheral held by the user a common use is in automobile driving video games and simulators which turn the steering wheel to simulate forces found when cornering a real vehicle in 2007 novint released the falcon the first consumer 3d touch device with high resolution threedimensional force feedback this allowed the haptic simulation of objects textures recoil momentum and the physical presence of objects in games noncontact haptic technology noncontact or midair haptic technology utilizes the sense of touch without physical contact of a device this type of feedback involves interactions with a system that are in a 3d space around the user thus the user is able to perform actions on a system in the absence of holding a physical input device air vortex rings air vortex rings are donutshaped air pockets that are concentrated gusts of air focused air vortices can have the force to blow out a candle or disturb papers from a few yards away two specific companies have done research using air vortices as a source for noncontact haptic feedback disney research in 2013 disney worked on a technology they called aireal this system delivered noncontact haptic feedback through the use of air vortex rings according to disney aireal helps users experience textures and touch virtual 3d objects in free space this is all without the need for a glove or any other type of physical haptic feedback disney took on this research because they believed that technology is advancing towards more virtual or augmented reality applications according to disney the missing piece in this emerging computeraugmented world is the absence of physical feeling of virtual objects disneys main intention for this research was to encourage other research regarding new applications of noncontact haptic feedback microsoft in 2013 microsoft explored the same area as disney they used air vortex rings in order to try and provide haptic feedback for an atadistance interaction microsoft mostly focused on the study of vortex formation theory and parameters that will provide the most effective air vortex ring that will impart haptic feedback onto the user microsoft concluded that in order to get the best experience from the air vortex rings the aperture size that produces the rings does not constrain the design however the ld ratio is the most useful measurement the optimal ld ratio for an air vortex ring generator is between 5 and 6 ultrasound ultrasound is a form of sound wave that has a high frequency the most popular use of ultrasound is the visualization of a baby in the mothers womb these sound waves are in general not harmful to the human body and can be focused easily one company called ultrahaptics has been working with this technology to provide noncontact haptic feedback ultrahaptics founded in 2013 ultrahaptics has focused on providing users haptic feedback in free space using ultrasound technology they use multiple ultrasound speakers to make changes in the air pressure around the user this provides the ability to feel the pockets of pressurized air focused in the environment this gives the user tactile cues for gestures invisible interfaces textures and virtual objects the company is continuing to grow and launched their evaluation programme in 2014 this programme includes a device that rests on the table the various ultrasound speakers are laid out in a grid which can focus the ultrasound waves directly above it commercial applications tactile electronic displays a tactile electronic display is a kind of display device that presents information in tactile form teleoperators and simulators teleoperators are remote controlled robotic toolswhen contact forces are reproduced to the operator it is called haptic teleoperation the first electrically actuated teleoperators were built in the 1950s at the argonne national laboratory by raymond goertz to remotely handle radioactive substances since then the use of force feedback has become more widespread in other kinds of teleoperators such as remote controlled underwater exploration devices when such devices are simulated using a computer as they are in operator training devices it is useful to provide the force feedback that would be felt in actual operations since the objects being manipulated do not exist in a physical sense the forces are generated using haptic force generating operator controls data representing touch sensations may be saved or played back using such haptic technologies haptic simulators are used in medical simulators and flight simulators for pilot training it is very critical to exert proper force magnitude to the user it requires considering human force sensitivity video games haptic feedback is commonly used in arcade games especially racing video games in 1976 segas motorbike game motocross simple haptic devices are common in the form of game controllers joysticks and steering wheels early implementations were provided through optional components such as the nintendo 64 controllers rumble pak in 1997 in the same year the microsoft sidewinder force feedback pro with built in feedback from immersion corporation was released many newer generation console controllers and joysticks feature built in feedback devices too including sonys dualshock technology and microsofts impulse trigger technology some automobile steering wheel controllers for example are programmed to provide a feel of the road as the user makes a turn or accelerates the steering wheel responds by resisting turns or slipping out of control in 2013 valve announced a line of steam machines microconsoles including a new steam controller unit that uses weighted electromagnets capable of delivering a wide range of haptic feedback via the units trackpads these controllers feedback systems are open to the user which allows the user to configure the feedback to occur in nearly limitless ways and situations also due to the community orientation of the controller the possibilities to have games interact with the controllers feedback system are only limited to the games design in 2014 the researchers in lg electronics led by youngjun cho showed a new technique to automatically generate haptic effects on a haptic cushion in interacting with multimedia contents at actuator 2014 in bremen germany in 2015 valve released the steam controller with hd haptics with haptic force actuators on both sides of the controller deliver precise high fidelity vibrations measured in microseconds can emulate the spin of a virtual trackball the click of a scroll wheel or the shot of a rifle every input from the triggers to the trackpads can offer haptic feedback to fingertips delivering vital highbandwidth tactile feedback about speed boundaries thresholds textures or actions in 2017 the nintendo switchs joycon introduced the hd rumble feature similar to valve hd haptics it has a high level of precision allowing it to simulate the feel of holding moving and using objects 12switch has a number of minigames demonstrating this feature personal computers in 2008 apples macbook and macbook pro started incorporating a tactile touchpad design followed thereafter in 2015 apple introduced force touch trackpads onto the 2015 macbook pro which simulates clicks with a taptic engine which provides haptic feedback mobile devices vibramotor of lg optimus l7 ii tactile haptic feedback is common in cellular devices handset manufacturers such nokia lg and motorola have included different types of haptic technologies in their devices in most cases this takes the form of vibration response to touch alpine electronics uses a haptic feedback technology named pulsetouch on many of their touchscreen car navigation and stereo units surface haptics refers to the production of variable forces on a users finger as it interacts with a surface such as a touchscreen tanvas uses an ultrasonic technology to modulate the slipperiness of a glass touchscreen as if a users finger is floating on a cushion of air in february 2013 apple inc was awarded the patent for a more accurate haptic feedback system that is suitable for multitouch surfaces apples us patent for a method and apparatus for localization of haptic feedback virtual reality haptics are gaining widespread acceptance as a key part of virtual reality systems adding the sense of touch to previously visualonly interfaces most of these use stylusbased haptic rendering where the user interfaces to the virtual world via a tool or stylus giving a form of interaction that is computationally realistic on todays hardware systems are being developed to use haptic interfaces for 3d modeling and design that are intended to give artists a virtual experience of real interactive modeling researchers from the university of tokyo have developed 3d holograms that can be touched through haptic feedback using acoustic radiation to create a pressure sensation on a users hands see future section the researchers led by hiroyuki shinoda had the technology on display at siggraph 2009 in new orleans several companies are making fullbody or torso haptic vests or haptic suits for use in immersive virtual reality so that explosions and bullet impacts can be felt research research has been done to simulate different kinds of taction by means of highspeed vibrations or other stimuli one device of this type uses a pad array of pins where the pins vibrate to simulate a surface being touched while this does not have a realistic feel it does provide useful feedback allowing discrimination between various shapes textures and resiliencies several haptics apis have been developed for research applications such as chai3d openhaptics and the open source h3dapi medicine haptic interfaces for medical simulation may prove especially useful for training in minimally invasive procedures such as laparoscopy and interventional radiology a particular advantage of this type of work is that surgeons can perform more operations of a similar type with less fatigue a virtual haptic back vhb was successfully integrated in the curriculum at the ohio university college of osteopathic medicine robotics the shadow hand uses the sense of touch pressure and position to reproduce the strength delicacy and complexity of the human grip arts design and handwriting touching is not limited to feeling but allows interactivity in realtime with virtual objects thus haptics are used in virtual arts such as sound synthesis or graphic design and animation the haptic device allows the artist to have direct contact with a virtual instrument that produces realtime sound or images for instance the simulation of a violin string produces realtime vibrations of this string under the pressure and expressiveness of the bow haptic device held by the artist this can be done with physical modeling synthesis designers and modellers may use highdegreeoffreedom input devices that give touch feedback relating to the surface they are sculpting or creating allowing faster and more natural workflow than traditional methods artists working with haptic technology such as vibrotactile effectors are christa sommerer laurent mignonneau and stahl stenslie digital drawing or handwriting tasks can be enhanced and produce better outputs with a more realistic feedback which is designed to enable artists or writers to feel as if they are drawing or writing with a traditional writingdrawing tool marker pen ballpoint pen etc the first method to realise this was proposed in realpen project future applications future applications of haptic technology cover a wide spectrum of human interaction with technology current from 2013 research focuses on the mastery of tactile interaction with holograms and distant objects which if successful may result in applications and advancements in gaming movies manufacturing medical and other industries future advancements in haptic technology may create new industries that were previously neither feasible nor realistic holographic interaction researchers at the university of tokyo are working on adding haptic feedback to holographic projections future medical applications one currently developing from 2014 medical innovation is a central workstation used by surgeons to perform operations remotely local nursing staff set up the machine and prepare the patient and rather than travel to an operating room the surgeon becomes a telepresence as of 2003 according to a boston university paper published in the lancet noisebased devices such as randomly vibrating insoles could also ameliorate agerelated impairments in balance control if effective affordable haptic insoles were available perhaps many injuries from falls in old age or due to illnessrelated balanceimpairment could be avoided in february 2013 an inventor in the united states built a spidersense bodysuit equipped with ultrasonic sensors and haptic feedback systems which alerts the wearer of incoming threats allowing them to respond to attackers even when blindfolded laparoscopic tactile imaging probe design concept during a laparoscopic surgery the video camera becomes a surgeons eyes since the surgeon uses the image from the video camera positioned inside the patients body to perform the procedure visual feedback is either similar or often superior to open procedures the greatest limitation to these minimally invasive approaches is the impairment in the case of traditional laparoscopy or complete lack of tactile sensation in the case of robotic laparoscopy normally used to assist in surgical dissection and decision making despite multiple attempts no tactile imaging device or probe is currently commercially available for laparoscopic surgery elastography list of pc games with force feedback support organic user interface stylus computing tactile imaging wired glove klein d d rensink h freimuth g j monkman s egersdrfer h bse m baumann modelling the response of a tactile array using an electrorheological fluids journal of physics d applied physics vol 37 no 5 pp794803 2004 klein d h freimuth g j monkman s egersdrfer a meier h bse m baumann h ermert o t bruhns electrorheological tactile elements mechatronics vol 15 no 7 pp883897 pergamon september 2005 monkman g j an electrorheological tactile display presence journal of teleoperators and virtual environments vol 1 issue 2 pp219228 mit press july 1992 roblesdelatorre g principles of haptic perception in virtual environments in grunwald m ed human haptic perception birkhuser verlag 2008 vashisth a mudur s 2008 deforming pointbased models using an electronic glove proceedings of the 2008 c3s2e conference 193 doi10114513702561370288 isbn9781605581019 haptic technology at howstuffworks levitating joystick improves computer feedback what is force feedback on telerobotic manipulators kraft telerobotics video of novint falcon demo at ces 2007 chai3d open source haptic simulation framework stanford university h3dapi open source haptics api developed by sensegraphics biorobotics laboratory research on haptics and teleoperation an animation explaining how haptic forcefeedback technology works ieee technical committee on haptics special interest group on haptics haptics sig hapticsl the electronic mailing list for the international haptics community how haptic coming out of research laboratories and into real products vtevideo game controllerscontroller types arcade controller balance board digital camera dance pad fishing rod gamepad gaming keypad interactive urinal joystick keyboard light gun microphone motion controller mouse musical instruments nunchaku paddle racing wheel remote control throttle quadrant virtual reality headset wired glove controller partsphysical buttons analog stick arrow keys circle pad dpad discpad face button scroll wheel select button shoulder button start button telephone keypad trigger turbo button sensitive accelerometer haptic technology stylus pen touchpad touchscreen trackball related multitap rob 