Tiny Vibrations, Big Moves: April’s Haptic Roundup

The latest edition of All Things Haptics Newsletter

Hey Haptics Industry Insider,

In haptics, many technologies and ideas have been around for years. But, new ways to see and apply them keep emerging. The people reading this newsletter are part of the foundation others will stand on.

This edition rounds up both the shiny new developments and deeper resources to keep expanding your thinking.

Let’s dive in.

News You Can Feel

📱 Pixel Imperfect Haptics? - A recent Pixel update left some users complaining about weaker, less satisfying vibration feedback during typing and notifications. (Phone Arena)

🚗Boreas Releases New Automotive Module - The company announced a low-power piezoelectric haptic driver designed for automotive controls, highlighting improvements in efficiency and responsiveness. (EP&T)

🛠️ Fine-Tune Haptic Feedback - New TITAN Haptics (my team!) development kit includes a modifiable Carlton motor and swappable materials to study how different surfaces affect actuator sound, strength, and feel. (All About Circuits)

☀️Solar Activity Linked to Random Haptic Events? - Haptic “ghost taps” on Galaxy phones turned out not to be space weather at all but an intentional One UI brightness cue when the screen hits 100 percent in bright light.. (SamMobile)

🤝 Cirque and Sensel Partner on Haptic Touchpads - The companies announced a strategic agreement to advance haptic ForcePad technology for laptops and other interactive devices. (8NewsNow)

🔓 Subtle Haptics on iPhone unlock -A hidden iOS setting allows a soft haptic pulse after Face ID authentication, recently highlighted by tech media but not officially announced by Apple. (L&A Magazine)

🏭Collaboration on Industrial Haptics - Promtek, IREROBOT, and Staffordshire University announced a partnership to explore haptic feedback in industrial robotics. The collaboration focuses on improving material handling processes where precision and safety are critical. (FoodTechBiz)

📚 Book on 50 Years of Gaming Controllers - Highly anticipated (mostly by me) Joysticks to Haptics: A Visual History of Video Game Controllers. Pre-order currently. Releases in July 2025. (GameSpot)

Devices, Design and Deep Dives

🕹️ Top 8 Best Uses of Haptic Feedback in Games - You’ll find “perfectly timed haptics, weapon-specific haptics, and the tension of a bow string.” (GamerRant)

🎮Wearable VR Haptics Gets Lighter - Northwestern university researchers unveiled a thin, wireless VR haptic system that sticks to the skin and delivers touch sensations using tiny electrical signals. (Techi)

🧬Mapping the Brain’s Touch System - Researchers created the first detailed molecular map of the somatosensory neurons responsible for touch, offering new insights into how the nervous system processes haptic information. (Science Org)

🔊Microspeaker-Based Soft Buttons Deliver Haptic Feedback - Researchers at the University of Illinois developed a haptic “soft button” using a microspeaker hydraulically coupled to a silicone membrane. (Hackaday)

✋ Delivering a Pinch, Stretch and Tap - Researchers at Northwestern University developed a small actuator that applies both normal and shear forces to the skin. The work explores new ways to produce pinching, stretching, and twisting sensations. (IEEE Spectrum)

🎤 Bridging Haptics and Design - Thomas Müller speaks at Umeå Institute of Design to express how haptics can better support product design and user experience. “Why don't our office chairs vibrate when we get an email?” (UMU)

New Frontiers in Research

🧠 Body Position Shapes Haptic Size Perception - A study shows that blind individuals can accurately perceive object length by combining multiple touch cues — matching the performance of blindfolded sighted participants. (Nature)

🧤 Stretchy Sensors, Sharper Touch - Researchers developed a soft, stretchable e-skin that can localize touch with millimeter precision, opening doors for more sensitive prosthetics and robotics. (Science Advances)

🧵Exploring Multisensory Wearable Haptics - Researchers mapped out different haptic sensations and wearable formats, with detailed diagrams showing how future devices could combine pressure, stretch, and temperature feedback. (TechXplore)

🏗️How Touch Builds Structure - Researchers found that the brain uses a continuity skeleton to connect local touch signals into coherent object shapes, separating global form from fine texture. (Nature)

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