Electroadhesion-based surface haptics are fundamentally different than vibration-based haptics in the following ways:

  • How it is built – No piezos, motors or other moving parts
  • How it is programmed – Software-defined effects can be designed in localized zones
  • How it is experienced – Effects are felt as the finger modulates friction by swiping across/up/down/around the surface

TanvasTouch haptic effects are programmed using bitmapped images:

  • Greyscale (single channel)
  • 0-255 per pixel
  • Currently .PNG file format

Visual designers can use: Photoshop, Illustrator, Paint, etc.

Programmers can use: OpenCV, graphics drawing libraries, etc.