‘Tablet Touches You Back’: Improved Touchscreen Texture With Electrostatic Technology

On a smooth, flat touchscreen it‘s important to show users that they’ve pushed the right button. Those of us who have used a touchscreen know this can be done by showing “depression” of the button on the screen, making a sound or feeling a vibration. But one company is taking haptic technology of touchscreens to the next level, creating what it calls “feel screens”.

(Image: Senseg)

The Daily Mail reports that Senseg technology uses an electrical current to “attract” the person’s finger to the screen, creating a more realistic texture.

Check out CNET’s demo of the prototype:

The Daily Mail has more on Senseg technology, which could be coming to commercial devices within the next year or two:

(Image: Senseg)

The Senseg technology is an electrical “coating” that layers over a touchscreen, and allows smartphones and tablets to “target” feelings to your fingers as you touch the screen.

Senseg say the effect is so detailed they describe their tiny locations where users can “feel” the surface as “tixels” — like pixels, but for feeling.

Senseg says that it uses Coloumb’s force, the attraction between electrical charges, to create this effect. The technology passes a very low electrical current into the “Senseg Tixel”, which creates a small attractive force with a person’s finger. According to the website, this technology can create a variety of sensations like rough surfaces or edges.

(Image: Senseg)

Unlike current touchscreen technology that uses vibrations to let users feel, Senseg doesn’t have a sound associated with it. The technology was named one of the 50 best inventions by Time magazine this year.