Why touch matters in the digital age

From the buzz of your phone when a message arrives to surgeons being able to feel' the patients they are examining from hundreds of kilometres away, these are just some examples of a rapidly growing field of technology a that is already transforming everything from healthcare to robotics, by recreating the sense of touch.

Imagine feeling every bump and turn when playing a virtual motorbike racing game. Or controlling a robot remotely and feeling the objects it picks up and handles. These experiences may sound futuristic but are already reality thanks to haptics, a technology that brings the sense of touch into the digital world.

What is haptics? Haptics allows us to feel digital interactions through touch. It combines sensors that detect movement or contact, software that interprets that information and devices that generate tactile feedback through vibrations, pressure, force or motion.

The most haptic devices include those that are graspable, such as joysticks, used in video games and flight simulators; touchable, such as in smartphones and interactive screens; and wearable, such as virtual reality gloves that simulate touch through vibration, pressure or temperature.

Where are haptics used? Many of us encounter haptics everyday without realizing it. Yet the technology is rapidly growing across a number of sectors including:

Healthcare: Haptics can help doctors examine patients remotely and enhance robotic-assisted procedures by providing tactile feedback. The technology is also used to create realistic training simulations and can improve the adaptation to prosthetic devices.

Aviation: Haptics enable highly realistic flight simulations, helping them practice routine operations and emergency responses in a safe environment.

Robotics: Haptic technology is being used to control robots remotely in hazardous or hard-to-reach environments such as underwater operations, disaster zones or in facilities handling radioactive substances.

Automotive: Vibrating steering wheels and seats can alert drivers when they are drifting out of their lane or when a potential hazard is detected.

Improving accessibility Haptics is increasingly being used to improve the lives of those with visual or hearing impairments. Vibrations or pulses on touchscreens can help visually impaired users access information that would otherwise be communicated visually, while tactile alerts such as pulses can replace sounds such as doorbells and ringing phones for those who are hard of hearing.

In addition, wearable devices help people navigate environments more easily by providing directional cues and real-time feedback.

Haptics in the future As digital technologies become more immersive, haptics is expected to play an increasingly prominent role in making interactions with devices more realistic and intuitive. Touch can communicate information quickly and discreetly. By adding the sense of touch to digital experiences, haptics has the potential to improve safety, accessibility and training, improving the way people learn, work, navigate and communicate.

Yet its full potential is only beginning to emerge. As technologies such as virtual reality, robotics and artificial intelligence continue to evolve, haptics will play an ever more important role.

To learn more about the latest developments in haptics and the role of international standards in supporting its growth, join the upcoming IEC webinar Haptic technology: Advancing accessibility through standards.

The free webinar will explore how haptic technologies are contributing to inclusive design and provide insights from the experts about how standards are helping enable innovation, interoperability and wider adoption.

Learn more and register here.

Learn more about IEC work for haptics in this e-tech article.

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