Tag Archives: HapticFeedback
Google settles patent lawsuit from Immersion over Motorola use of haptic feedback
Immersion is known for guarding its haptic feedback patents with enthusiasm -- just ask Microsoft, among others. Motorola learned first-hand when Immersion sued over the use of basic haptic technology in May, but all that's water under the bridge now that Motorola's new parent Google is settling the matter out of court. While the exact sums aren't public, Google will pay Immersion to address any relevant past shipments, license the patents for future Motorola shipments and take care of "certain issues" with Google-badged hardware using the disputed vibration techniques. Immersion's end of the bargain is simply to end its legal action, including an ITC complaint, although the company makes clear that non-Motorola Android phones aren't covered by the deal. We're sure Google isn't happy to shoulder additional costs on top of its $12.5 billion Motorola acquisition, although it may see the settlement as a matter of establishing focus. After all, there's bigger fish to fry.
Continue reading Google settles patent lawsuit from Immersion over Motorola use of haptic feedback
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google
Source: Motorola
Sony tries to patent stylus with friction-based haptic feedback
There's a certain disconnected feeling that comes with using a touchscreen, and Sony isn't content with vibration being the sole standard for haptic feedback. The company has filed a bunch of patent applications for a stylus which instead uses artificially generated friction to make it harder or easier to move across the screen. It works using a "rolling contact ball gripping mechanism," which responds to instructions from the phone or tablet and employs actuators to increase or decrease friction on the roller ball tip. The various filings outline some potential benefits of this stylus-based haptic feedback, including being able to feel yourself "carving and molding" 3D objects in a design application, or understanding your character is "fatigued or damaged" while playing a game. We know that Samsung increased the friction of the Note II's S-Pen to make it feel more like writing on paper, but Sony's approach would potentially bring a whole new layer of interaction.
Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Sony
ForcePhone from Nokia Research, HIIT sends positive vibes with a squeeze
Most device vibration technology is used as pure feedback -- either confirmation that you've pressed something or that you've come across an obstacle. If a prototype developed by Nokia Research and the Helsinki Institute of Information Technology ever translates to production, however, it'll be as much a part of personal phone conversations as a soft voice or a cheeky text message. The modified N900 attaches a resistor that responds to a squeeze at four different pressure levels, and doles that out during a traditional or Skype-based call as a vibration on the other end. As you'd imagine, the aim is to give family, friends and lovers the closest they'll get to a hug (or the occasional frustration) when the distance is just too great for an in-person visit. Don't hold your breath for an extra-lovable Lumia anytime soon: there's no mention of any near-term production plans, and any adoption would require a platform switch just to get started. But if we ever see "reach out and touch someone" become a lot more than a slogan, we'll know where it came from.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Nokia
ForcePhone from Nokia Research, HIIT sends positive vibes with a squeeze originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 03:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsNokia patents haptic system to simulate linear motion, assist with navigational route guidance
The crew in Espoo have just added a new patent to the arsenal that promises to add a refined level of haptic feedback to the user experience. Fundamental to Nokia's plan is a matrix of independent haptic devices that remain stationary, but combine to simulate the sensation of linear and circular movement. Not only could the enhanced feedback bring a new level of interaction to the software interface, but Nokia also hypothesizes that the system will be useful for providing navigational route guidance -- say, without the need for visual or auditory feedback. Given the company's other research in the field of haptic systems, it seems Nokia's future may be full of good vibrations, indeed.
Filed under: Cellphones
Nokia patents haptic system to simulate linear motion, assist with navigational route guidance originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | Comments‘Free form’ lens over mobile display could improve audio and haptics, says Motorola patent filing
It's hard to tell exactly what Motorola is thinking of here, but it probably isn't a billowing sheet of fabric stretched loosely over the face of a smartphone -- even if that's what it looks like. Instead, this appears to be a patent application for a "free floating display lens" that helps the panel of a mobile device to be used as a Beo-style acoustic speaker. The idea is that you can get louder and less resonant sound without having to dedicate more precious real estate to a larger traditional speaker unit. The application also talks about generating haptic feedback on the lens, using the same underlying piezoelectric structures that would power the audio. Creating vibrations this way could require "eight times" less voltage than current methods while also delivering a higher-amplitude sensation. Merge that with KDDI's weird vibrational speaker technology and the results could be deafening.
'Free form' lens over mobile display could improve audio and haptics, says Motorola patent filing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsPatent application highlights Apple’s continued flirtation with haptic feedback
We could all use a little feedback, right? Even Apple. The company has been toying around with the concept of haptic feedback for a while now, at least so far as patent applications are concerned. Another application filed in November or 2010 has surfaced. Of course, what we told you back in 2009 about the tenuous connection between an application and an actual product is as relevant as ever. Still, Apple's concept for a "tiered haptic system" which "may use one or more arrays of shape change elements to provide a wide range of tactile feedback" demonstrates that, at least as of late 2010, Cupertino was still working to rethink the way it sees touchscreens.
Patent application highlights Apple's continued flirtation with haptic feedback originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 May 2012 19:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsHands-on with AT&T Labs prototypes: ShadowPuppets and haptic steering wheel
We're not done with the AT&T prototypes yet. After putting our rears in the seat of a Porsche 911 and turning our questionable English into even more questionable Spanish, Ma Bell gave us a glimpse at some super rough devices fresh from the labs. The first one we got our hands on, really didn't need us to put our hands on it. ShadowPuppets sticks a webcam to a pico projector (literally... with gaffers tape) to create a touchless "multitouch" interface for your phone. Rather than have friends gather around your tiny iPhone display or force a person to awkwardly reach across you and tap on your handset, this concept lets anyone simply cast shadows to control the interface. It's not terribly dissimilar from a number of other projects out there, except it's specifically geared at turning smartphone interaction into a social experience. The demo required the assistance of an Alienware laptop, and the pinch to zoom function was a little wonky to say the least. Still, it was pretty easy to see how this might prove useful in daily life.
The other concept on hand was the haptic feedback steering wheel the company dreamed up with help from Carnegie Mellon. While the research may sound compelling, the device it self couldn't be any rougher around the edges... literally. The design consisted of roughly cut chunks of foam taped (this time with packing tape, we believe) haphazardly to a game controller. On each piece of foam was a tiny vibrating actuator connected to an Arduino that dangled below in a vaguely menacing tangle of cables. The sensation as the vibrations travel in circular patterns (clockwise to indicate a right turn, counter clockwise for left), was strange to say the least. But, as the cycles sped up and the turn approached we grew less uncomfortable with the feeling of a vibrating steering wheel. And we actually found the increasing tempo an easier way to discern when a turn was approaching than hearing a robotic voice shout out, "turn left in 500 feet." Check out the gallery above for some not so glamorous shots of the future of tech.
Hands-on with AT&T Labs prototypes: ShadowPuppets and haptic steering wheel originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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