A research group at Tokyo Institute of Technology is developing a device called the Haptic Adapter. This is a new type of user interface, which gives a tactile sensation to touchscreen operation when using devices such as the Nintendo DS and iPad.

“When using a touchscreen, a main problem is that there’s no sensation of having pressed a button, and you can’t tell how much sliding you’ve done. We’re doing research to make touchscreens easier to operate, by using tactile feedback to solve those problems in touch operation.”

The adapters comes in two models, one in the shape of a ball and the other resembling a brush. With the ball-shaped haptic adapter, the user can experience the feeling of using an analog joystick on the touchscreen. With the brush-shaped haptic adapter, the user can experience the feeling of clicking.

“This black haptic adapter device is made entirely of rubber, so it’s very cheap to make. It can be used with both the resistive film system in the Nintendo DS, and the capacitive system in the iPhone.”

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“Let me explain how to use the ball-shaped haptic adapter. In 3D games on the current iPhone and iPad, characters are controlled using a directional pad, like this. The problem is that operation is difficult, because the surface is a touchscreen. But if you put this ball-shaped haptic adapter on your thumb, then by placing it on the directional pad and moving it around, you can operate the character in a way that feels like you’re using an analog stick.”

The brush-like haptic adapter produces the sensation of resistance when applying downwards pressure, so it can be used like a brush when using painting software. Because the user can control the pressure on the brush, the thickness of the line can be varied by pressing harder.