Disney Engineers Develop Touch Screens That Mimic Tactile Sensations

Lucas123 writes "Engineers at Disney Research in Pittsburgh have developed an algorithm that creates the illusion of a 3D surface on touch screens. Using electrical impulses, the touch screen technology offers the sensation of ridges, edges, protrusions and bumps and any combination of those textures. While Disney is not alone in developing tactile response touchscreens, its researchers said the traditional approach has been to use a library of 'canned effects,' that are played back when someone touches a screen. Disney's algorithm doesn't just playback one or two responses, but it offers a set of controls that make it possible to tune tactile effects to a specific visual artifact on the fly. 'Our algorithm is concise, light and easily applicable on static images and video streams,' the researchers stated." This summer Disney unveiled AIREAL, a system designed to give tactile sensations to people using motion control devices.

Bendable screens with tactile feedback?

[Anonymous Coward]

Eventually the two technologies will combine into something. Toss in the magic of a fleshlight and why not this?

Does this remind anyone else of Futurama? Blank sexbots. Download any likeness. (Lucy Liu beware!)

A whole black market of illegal likenesses. Just think, fresh goat ass for you.

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[binarylarry]

It's a whole new world.

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[mark-t]

But to Snow White's credit, Ginnifer Goodwin is really really really cute.

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[smooth wombat]

No, she's not. She's that borderline cute depending on how her hair is cut and whatever dastardly makeup is forced on her.

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[RaceProUK]

Making a verb out of a noun made from the original meaning of the work fucking annoyhells me.

Verbing nouns and nouning verbs is how the language evolves ;)

BlackBerry tried this already

[isdnip]

They did a touch-screen phone that vibrated when you crossed between virtual keys, and required harder pressure to register than just touching. It sounded like a good idea, but it was a flop in practice. Touchie-feelie phones are bad enough. Touchie-feelie fluffy pix? Eeewww.

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[flimflammer]

What makes you think this is for phones...?

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[Anne Thwacks]

But think of the porn!

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[fatphil]

This is not vibration, I presume, it actually causes *drag* on your finger. Something to do with coulomb's something, IIRC - saw a demo from a local company a while back, it's not unique to Disney certainly.

Engineers

[mcgrew]

Disney calls them "imagineers". These guys were making androids decades ago.

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[George Dealba]

I remember the term back then and wanted to work in Disney as a kid.

Cars need this

[Causemos]

Touch screen systems in cars need something like this. Then they'll need a system to determine when you stop feeling for a button and actually press it.

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[mcgrew]

I'd rather they take those stupid damned touchscreens out of cars completely. Give me physical knobs and buttons that stay in one place that I know where they are and I can make an adjustment without taking my eyes off of the road.

Touchscreens in cars are dangerous.

Re: The REALLY amazing thing...

[Adriax]

Disney pours quite a lot of money into R&D, always has.
They're always looking to increase the immersion factor of the park attractions with things like interactive displays. Helps the guests believe it really is magic that runs the Magic Kingdom.

Neat.

[Anonymous Coward]

Too bad Disney is making it. It will be consigned to letting 5 year olds feel pinochio's nose grow, instead of letting old perverts fondle virtual hoes.

(I joke.)

In the real world, this would have considerable applications for interactive kiosks in malls, since it would enable interactive braille and other tactile display technologies to be combined seamlessly with media intended for sighted people, among many other useful applications. Of course, slashdot won't be happy unless they can feel the hot grits. ;

Not new?

[djupedal]

"but it offers a set of controls that make it possible to tune tactile effects to a specific visual artifact on the fly. "

Now if they can incorporate this with eye-tracking, we can finally have that genie-in-a-bottle we've always wanted.

Latency first please

[Twinbee]

Tactile feedback sounds like a decent idea. But I wish they'd work on the latency first. You get a much better 'physical' connection with the device when the latency is less than 50 or even 5 milliseconds.

The latest iPhone adds all sorts of scrolling gimmicks, and that'll unfortunately also have the effect of increased latency.

It's worth posting Microsoft's research on this again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvQCPLkPt4 [youtube.com]

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[LongearedBat]

Interesting. (I have no mod points.)

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[tlhIngan]

Tactile feedback sounds like a decent idea. But I wish they'd work on the latency first. You get a much better 'physical' connection with the device when the latency is less than 50 or even 5 milliseconds.

The latest iPhone adds all sorts of scrolling gimmicks, and that'll unfortunately also have the effect of increased latency.

Actually, someone has gone about to measure latency on phones [appglimpse.com] and found that iOS scores consistently better than Android or Windows Phone - an iPhone 5 around 75ms, a 4 at 92m

I have to ask...

[mishehu]

But is pr0n going to be one of the first industries to make use of this technology?

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[martin-boundary]

Hill out man, it's a typo. He meant to write "butt"

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[Gavagai80]

Patents last 20 years. Not 500+.

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[peragrin]

you don't understand patent law then.

in 17 years Disney can move a screw,redo the wiring layout, claim it is a new product and re patent it.

when there exists patent for manually collating papers by placing them them on a table and walking around said table to grab a paper from each stack(IBM). every patent needs to be questioned.

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[mcgrew]

you don't understand patent law then.

I don't think you do. My ex-brother in law was supervisor at a factory that made mechanical things. His boss would bring him something their competitor had come up with and ask him "can we make these?" He'd look at it and say "sure, but what about the patent?" His boss answered "that's why we employ lawyers."

Sometimes getting around a patent is as simple as making the exact same part out of a different material. There are usually many ways to do or make a thing, and the

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[sjames]

Look up evergreening, patent thicket, and patent minefield.

Can it do boobs?

[Maxo-Texas]

If so, their fortune is made.

Otherwise they'll have to get buy on what they can make off of engineering and gaming products.

seriously- I'd like to see this inside a set of gloves--- or a full suit.

Brings "ready player one" to mind.

Steam Controller

[jimshatt]

So how does this compare to the haptic feedback of the Steam Controller. Same idea? Completely different?

Accessibility improvement?

[FunPika]

Could this be useful for stuff like allowing the blind to use tablets (since I imagine that being able to make bumps could lead to usable braille)?

Anyone notice the project name?

[areusche]

Look at this screen, isn't it neat! Wouldn't you think my LCD collection's complete!

i predict

[argStyopa]

...that once again, porn will lead the way in the application of this technology to the internet.