Gallery: Watch: Disney's Experimental Touchscreens Let You 'Feel' Digital Objects
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The latest project out of Disney Research's lab is a rig that lets you feel objects on a touchscreen, using nothing more than some cleverly programmed vibrations. *Image: Disney Research*
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By modulating the voltage of the vibrations supplied to the screen, the team's algorithm can simulate bumps, edges, textures and protrusions. *Image: Disney Research*
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In some cases, that can be predefined geometric information. Here, a Kinect-like depth-sensing camera pulls out some details for an object on screen. *Image: Disney Research*
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Topographic maps could really let you feel their topography. *Image: Disney Research*
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It's a step towards screens that don't feel like cold slabs of glass. *Image: Disney Research*
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One intriguing aspect is that the algorithm is lightweight enough to work on the fly. So you could zoom-in to an image of a kettle, for example, and feel the fine detail of its handle.*Image: Disney Research*
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Or feel the ridges of a jellyfish--even as it moves around on screen. *Image: Disney Research*
