The project was led by Max Linnander in the RE Touch Lab of professor Yon Visell at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Visell gave the initial challenge when Linnander arrived in late September 2021. The team tested ideas for nearly a year and then built laboratory prototypes. In December 2022 Linnander showed a simple working prototype: a single pixel excited by brief flashes from a small diode laser.
The pixels are millimetre-sized spots on a thin surface. Each pixel has a suspended graphite film above an air cavity. The film absorbs light, the trapped air heats and expands, and the top surface moves outward up to one millimetre. The scanning laser both lights and powers the pixels, so the surface needs no embedded wiring. The team has made devices with more than 1,500 pixels, and user tests showed good perception of location and moving graphics. Suggested applications include tactile touchscreens and electronic books.
Difficult words
- prototype — first simple model used to test ideasprototypes
- pixel — small single point in a displaypixels
- laser — device that makes a strong focused lightdiode laser
- suspended — to hang something so it can move
- absorbs — to take in light or another substance
- cavity — a small empty space inside an object
- touchscreens — a screen you touch to control a device
- perception — ability to notice or understand what you sense
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Would you like a tactile touchscreen that moves? Why or why not?
- Where could moving pixels on a surface be useful in daily life?
- Have you used a device that gives touch feedback? Describe it briefly.
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