The patent, called “Illuminated Touchpad” enables the implementation of feedback mechanisms to react according to the users' touch. By illuminating the thouchpad surface, the device can suggest users some gestures and guide their finger movements. The color [...]]]> Apple recently announced a new patent award: the use of light to support the gesture-based interaction in touchpads.

The patent, called “Illuminated Touchpad” enables the implementation of feedback mechanisms to react according to the users' touch. By illuminating the thouchpad surface, the device can suggest users some gestures and guide their finger movements. The color and brightness of the light can be adapted, according to the touch pressure or directions.

Both multitouch and touchpads can benefit from this patent, improving and innovating the user interaction.

According to the patent application:

Touch pads typically include an opaque touch panel, a controller and a software driver. The touch panel registers touch events and sends these signals to the controller. The controller processes these signals and sends the data to the computer system. The software driver translates the touch events into computer events.

Although touch pads work well, improvements to their form feel and functionality are desired. By way of example, it may be desirable to provide visual stimuli at the touch pad so that a user can better operate the touch pad. For example, the visual stimuli may be used (among others) to alert a user when the touch pad is registering a touch, alert a user where the touch is occurring on the touch pad, provide feedback related to the touch event, indicate the state of the touch pad, and/or the like.

This article is based on the original publication of Apple Insider. Further information can be accessed online in their webpage.

According to Chalis, the author of a interaction-design chapter dedicated to tactile in buy viagra online pharmacy

teraction, although there is a broad range of reasons why [...]]]> Although the visual channels feature the most prominently in user interfaces, the tactile interaction provides a broad range of potential for applications too.

According to Chalis, the author of a interaction-design chapter dedicated to tactile in

teraction, although there is a broad range of reasons why designers might wish to explore non-visual modes of communication, this interaction type is perhaps being undervalued in terms of the potential source of feedback that it might offer. In his chapter, he discusses key issues for tactile interaction in terms of physical, perceptual and technological aspects.

The psychology of touch involves both physical and perceptual aspects, that are respectively responsible for detecting stimulus and interpreting it. The perception can be: tactile, kinesthetic or haptic. For instance, the vibrotactile feedback that is often employed in gloves, takes advantages of the cutaneous sense, which belongs to the tactile perception.

The general human reliance on vision suggests that if a conflict were to arise between our sense of touch and our sense of sight, it would be the visual aspect that becomes dominant. However, the visual dominance versus tactual dominance should not be thought of as a dichotomy as there is evidence of compromise between the two senses when they are in conflict. In addition, this level of compromise is likely to be highly individual and will also be affected by a bias towards the suitability of one or both senses to the nature of the task.

It is clear that current technologies cannot yet facilitate dynamic tactile displays that offer the same richness of detail and contrast that we experience with the objects around us on a daily basis. However, as much as this would be an obvious ultimate aim within a context of augmented reality or virtual environments, there are perhaps much more attainable targets that will still be of significant use.

Ben Challis researches about alternative modes of interaction. His original article, on which this post in based, can be accessed online at: http://www.interaction-design.org/encyclopedia/tactile_interaction.html