Haptic Highlights: Unwrapping Trends and Sensory Surprises in Year-End Recap
The latest edition of the All Things Haptics newsletter
Season's Greetings, Haptics Insiders!
As the year is coming to an end, now is an ideal moment for reflection. To wrap things up, this edition will highlight the year's top haptic trends, share the latest news updates, and recount the origins of this very newsletter.
Let’s jump right in!
Summary: Haptics Trends 2023
If these newsletters were a magic ball, they'd reveal hardware galore, an automotive industry in flux, and an insatiable appetite for immersion.
Haptics in consumer products thrived - There were many new releases in the form of game controllers, handheld game systems, laptop trackpads, and even shirts and chairs. (Sony Portal - August) (Phone 15 - September) (Meta Quest 3 - June) (July - Vegas Sphere)
Haptics is a substantial value-add that elevates the "x" experience - This “x” includes gaming, movies, music, racing, etc. That said, customers are discerning in their choices, especially to the detriment of critical features (decreasing battery life, etc.). (Apple) (Pokémon and D-Box below)
Automotive haptics is seeing growth but with speedbumps - The potential of haptics in cars is widely recognized, especially with the shift towards autonomy. However, the path ahead is marked by uncertainty. (Mercedes - October) (Hyundai and Nissan - November) (BMW and VW - July) (Jaguar - June)
Growing curiosity and eagerness to explore haptics - We hit a massive milestone with newsletter subscribers, and the Haptics Club Podcast saw 60% growth YOY. Keep that sense of wonder alive!
Latest News
While there were few new product releases this month, there was buzz surrounding the utilization and significance of haptics, emphasizing customization.
🐲 Players Torn on Pokémon Go Haptics - Pokémon GO added new haptic effects, leaving players with mixed reviews – some thought their phones were glitching, not realizing it was just a pocketful of Pikachu surprises. (Droid Life)
🎹 Get a Grip in VR - Bstick recently unveiled their new VR controllers, featuring a 4-button keyboard integrated into a VR controller with force touch capabilities. This idea was showcased three years ago and in a 2021 paper. (YouTube / MDPI)
🎮 Choose Your Adventure with Haptics - “As Dusk Falls” was announced with exclusive features including “haptic feedback and touchpad controls, with an audio description accessibility.” (IGN)
🍿 Top Haptic-enabled Movies - What’s the best theatre movie with haptics? D-Box was kind to provide their countdown, with second place going to Avatar. You’ll never guess who’s first. Also, how did Dune not make the list? (Twitter/X)
📲 Solid-State Smartphone Buttons - Boreas announced they’re releasing a new solution for solid-state haptic buttons for smartphones. If you remember, the iPhone 14 was speculated to have solid-state buttons, but it was removed due to “technical issues.” (MacRumors / Boreas)
👖 Buckle Up for Warfare - While most belts hold up your pants, this one is designed to help you in-game. Woojer’s new Call of Duty branded belt says it will help you “Gain a competitive edge over the opposition.” (Trend Hunter)
🧱 Like Lego, but with Haptics and for VR - The Unitstick adopts a modular approach to VR peripherals, akin to building blocks but with added haptics. It transforms into eight modes, including a steering wheel and baseball bat, while offering inertial feedback. (Secretariat Edu)
🚗 Tesla Adds Haptic Feedback in China - In an effort to enhance safety features for Tesla owners in Mainland China, the company has introduced haptic feedback for forward collision warnings. The steering wheel now offers both tactile feedback and visual and audible alerts. (Not a Tesla App)
Resources
🤳 Boring Apps Need Haptics - An opinion piece on the current state of haptics in gaming, smartphones, and immersive technologies and how haptic feedback would make them “fun again.” (Inverse)
🎨🖌️ Google's Art of Haptic Design - Delving into Google's haptic design philosophy, engineers and designers blend technology to create products that deliver “optimal tactile experiences.” (Google Blog)
🧭 Digital Haptics for Navigating without Vision - A study exploring spatial navigation, using digital haptics and Lego Bricks with blindfolded participants. (Nature)
🍏 How Apple’s Haptic Feedback is Designed - A summary of how Apple designs its haptic feedback by UX Designer Junyoung Kim. You can also find Apple’s original best practices documentation here. (Medium)
✈️ Using Haptics for Pilot Cognitive Overload - An interview about the development of haptic or tactile technology, which improves prompts for pilots during complex and stressful combat situations to mitigate cognitive overload. (Aero Mag)
☣ Tactile E-Tattoo - Italy's Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia unveils an ultrathin wearable electronic tattoo, delivering localized tactile sensations through thermal, electrical, and mechanical stimulation. (New Atlas)
Events
🥽 Designing Haptics for XR Simulations - A talk featuring Senseglove and Interhaptics. (YouTube)
💾 CES January 9-12, 2024 - North America's largest consumer electronics event is known for showcasing cutting-edge technologies. This year, the cohort includes HaptX, Ultraleap, TDK, Haply, and my own TITAN Haptics. Reach out if you want to meet up. (TITAN Haptics).
Origin Story of All Things Haptics
Embark on the tale of All Things Haptics, rooted in the distant past. Picture a curious woman, akin to Alice in Wonderland, navigating the vast landscape of haptic wonders. From cutting-edge technology and VR research to emerging products and patents, her exploration turned into a full-fledged journey. Faced with a flood of discoveries, she longed for an efficient way to stay informed but found none.
Her quest, initially fueled by personal intrigue, transformed into a mission to bring visibility to the creators and their groundbreaking contributions. Thus, the All Things Haptics newsletter was born.
Two years later, the woman, now older and wiser, continues to be fueled by curiosity. The ongoing success of the publication, however, depends on readers like you who share a similar curiosity. If you've found this resource valuable, kindly consider supporting it on Patreon. Thank you for being a part of this haptics journey!
That’s it for now! Thanks so much for taking the time to read this year-end wrap-up. One of the goals of this newsletter is to get more people informed and excited about where the haptics industry is headed.
Did we miss something? To share your updates, events, and news, contact the All Things Haptics founder, Ashley Huffman, on Twitter or Linkedin.