Creating Multi-touch Haptic Feedback on an Electrostatic Tactile Display

Electrovibration is a promising method used to generate tactile feedback on touch screens. Although the method has recently received considerable attention from tactile display developers, almost all efforts so far have focused on single touch applications. However, extending this technology to apply to multi-touch systems is required to benefit from the rapidly growing touch screen industry. Through the course of this study, we propose a method and present a tactile display prototype that creates multi-touch tactile feedback using electrostatic attraction. The method relies on applying high-voltage AC signals on certain orthogonal electrode lines resulting in perceivable changes of friction at the intersection points. Generated surface friction on the prototype is measured using a planar tribometer. Results reveal that multiple localized friction spots can be generated with the proposed method. A user study is also carried out to test the prototype in a multi-touch scenario where two fingers explore a virtual texture simultaneously. Additionally, quantitative and qualitative analyses demonstrate the feasibility of creating multi-touch haptic feedback on an electrostatic tactile display.