When some of us hear the name Disney Research, the immediate assumption is that it’s a lab devoted to developing better animatronics or some other similarly whimsical application of bleeding-edge technology. But a new development from the lab could completely change the way we use touchscreens by adding realistic tactile feedback to the 3D images displayed.
In a new video (see above), Disney Research shows off a process it calls “rendering 3D tactile features on touch surfaces.” For the project, the researchers used an electrovibration-based display and a new algorithm developed in-house to allow the human hand to feel the textures of objects as presented on the screen.
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The algorithm maps the frictional forces between the screen and the user’s finger to the surface contours of the virtual 3D image presented on the touchscreen. This dynamic allows the system to adjust to various virtual surface sensations on-the-fly, rather than offering canned sensations as some tactile touchscreen feedback experiments have demonstrated in the past.
This tactile touch system works on everything from map topographies, animals and any number of 3D-rendered objects. The researchers plan to present their findings later this week at the ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology in Scotland.
“Touch interaction has become the standard for smartphones, tablets and even desktop computers, so designing algorithms that can convert the visual content into believable tactile sensations has immense potential for enriching the user experience,” Ivan Poupyrev, director of the Pittsburgh’s Interaction Group at Disney Research, said in a statement.
“We believe our algorithm will make it possible to render rich tactile information over visual content and that this will lead to new applications for tactile displays.”
BONUS: 10 Terrific iPhone and iPad Musical Performances
10 Terrific iPhone and iPad Musical Performances [VIDEOS] 1. Yoari & iBand Beyonce gets covered in this iPhone- and iPad-powered track with vocals supplied by Korean pop star Yoari. 2. Stanford's Mobile Phone Orchestra The Stanford "MoPhO" is an orchestra that uses phones to make music. Here, assistant professor (and creator of Smule's Ocarina iPhone app) Ge Wang offers insight into the "experimental ensemble." 3. The Mentalists This quartet got YouTube famous after the video of them playing "Kids" by MGMT on iPhones and iPod touches went viral, racking up more than 1 million views. 4. The iPad Orchestra The iPad Orchestra is just as its name sounds. It shows the potential for digital music using devices like the iPad. 5. Atomic Tom This is another viral video hit of a band performing "Take Me Out" on a New York subway. 6. iBand Marina, Seb and Roger make up the iBand. Here is the group performing an original composition, "Life is Greater than the Internet," on their various iDevices. 7. Applegirl Another YouTube star, Applegirl002, a.k.a Kim Yeo-hee, covers pop songs on her iPhone setup. Her amateur videos proved such a hit she landed a record contract and has since released an official music video. 8. iPad Band Musician Geoff Kaiser uses some clever editing and a split screen video to great effect with an ultra-modern take on the one-man band. 9. Lang Lang Chinese pianist Lang Lang played "Flight of the Bumblebee" during an encore at a recent San Fran concert. It seems as if the crowd loved it. 10. Gary Go Gary Go made headlines for playing giant London venue Wembley with his iPhone as his backing band. He has composed songs on the device and can be seen here performing live with his iPhone in hand.
Beyonce gets covered in this iPhone- and iPad-powered track with vocals supplied by Korean pop star Yoari.
The Stanford "MoPhO" is an orchestra that uses phones to make music. Here, assistant professor (and creator of Smule's Ocarina iPhone app) Ge Wang offers insight into the "experimental ensemble."
This quartet got YouTube famous after the video of them playing "Kids" by MGMT on iPhones and iPod touches went viral, racking up more than 1 million views.
The iPad Orchestra is just as its name sounds. It shows the potential for digital music using devices like the iPad.
This is another viral video hit of a band performing "Take Me Out" on a New York subway.
Marina, Seb and Roger make up the iBand. Here is the group performing an original composition, "Life is Greater than the Internet," on their various iDevices.
Another YouTube star, Applegirl002, a.k.a Kim Yeo-hee, covers pop songs on her iPhone setup. Her amateur videos proved such a hit she landed a record contract and has since released an official music video.
Musician Geoff Kaiser uses some clever editing and a split screen video to great effect with an ultra-modern take on the one-man band.
Chinese pianist Lang Lang played "Flight of the Bumblebee" during an encore at a recent San Fran concert. It seems as if the crowd loved it.
Gary Go made headlines for playing giant London venue Wembley with his iPhone as his backing band. He has composed songs on the device and can be seen here performing live with his iPhone in hand.
Image: Disney Research