March Vibes: Haptic Waterjets, ISO Updates, and Butt Rumbles
The latest Edition of All Things Haptics
Hi Haptics Industry Insider,
Welcome to your monthly All Things Haptics, the newsletter where touch tech gets a little extra texture. You’ll find a mix of cutting-edge research, product news, standards updates, and the occasional haptic-enabled bed.
Spring is when everything starts waking up again. Feels like the right time to loosen things up a bit. This month’s format is a little funkier, a little lighter, but still carrying the same nerdy signal.
🫵 Do You Even Buzz, Bro?
How many of us actually keep keyboard haptics on?
Cast your vote in this very scientific survey (or see the results if you’re too slow)
What's New in the Haptic Universe?
🏎️ BMW's Haptic Steering Wheel
BMW plans to add active haptic feedback to upcoming steering wheels starting in 2025. It’s meant to confirm driver inputs through subtle tactile cues instead of visual ones. Less dashboard tapping, more confident clicking. (Full scoop)
🚗 Haptic Gear Shift, Anyone?
Moza's new Active Shifter brings force feedback to your sim racing setup.
Pricey? Yeah. Cool? Absolutely. (Feel every gear change)
💸 Ultraleap Sold for Parts
The mid-air haptics pioneer backed by Tencent has been broken up after more layoffs. Once the future of XR touch, now a cautionary tale. (End of An Era)
💻 Lenovo x Sensel
The flagship ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 now comes with a haptic touchpad from Sensel. No mechanical click, just carefully tuned vibration. (Click without clicking)
🌊 JetUnit: Water You Feeling?
Researchers at UIST 2024 dropped a new waterjet-based haptic system. Designed for games, but could also help blind users navigate the world via force cues. (Waterfall of immersion)
🌀 More Haptic Happenings
💺 Sim racing — butt rumblers (yes, really)
🛏️ Smart beds - haptic tech for sleepers who want to feel something
🎮 PSVR2 x Slender Man - creepier with haptics
🏋️♀️ Workout wearables— with vibration settings
🕹️ Assassin's Creed vibration optimization — way beyond the DualShock days
🏆 IEEE early career award — celebrate your wins
🎶 Which music slaps with Apple haptics? (not everyone agrees - counterpoint)
🧪 Research & Standards Corner
ISO/IEC 23090-31:2025 — immersive 3D scene standard that might give haptics a structured lane
Android 15's Adaptive Vibration — subtle changes that could improve daily UX
Onomatopoeia as Haptic Feedback — yes, really
Marionette-style haptic teleoperation — puppeteering robots with wearable haptics
Haptic renegade voices — an oldie (2015) for the design researchers out there
🧠 Quick Links for the Curious
Good Vibrations Boost Solar Cell Performance (oldie but a goodie!)
That’s it for this month’s scroll.
Appreciation to everyone in the haptics space obsessing over the tiny details most people never even notice. Reactions like this one, make it all feel worth it.
Got something cool, weird, or underrated in the world of haptics?
Send it our way. We love stuff that buzzes.
✌️ Until next time,
All Things Haptics
haptics.substack.com