“The Haptic-Board is a custom handheld device designed to convey complex touch-based information for applications such as gaming and mobile computing. Instead of placing multiple tactile actuators on the skin, the system uses a sparse two-dimensional array of eccentric mass motors mounted to a rigid wooden board. The user holds the board in two hands and feels vibrotactile cues that are not only temporal but also spatial and directional. The key to the device’s compelling feel is that activating neighboring motors in tandem creates the illusion that vibrations are emanating from a location between the two real actuator positions.”

 

The project was demoed at the 2010 Haptics Symposium in Waltham, MA. A copy of the poster is available here.