URC MX-5000 Remote Puts Haptic Feedback Where It Belongs

For every five products that claim some kind of haptic feedback support, maybe one actually puts it to good use—like the URC MX-5000 touchscreen remote, which uses the technology to guide your fingers while they guide your TV. More »

Step Aside, Multitouch and Haptics: This Touchscreen Has Buttons

A couple of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, apparently tired of this whole touchscreen vs. button debate, have decided to just do away with the distinction entirely. More »

Novint CEO Demands Falcon Haptics Controller Be On Consoles By Year-End

We LOVED the Novint Falcon and pistol grip attachment in September, but non-PC, console-owning chaps were left out in the cold. If Novint is successful, that could all change by year end. Update. More »

Cowon P5 Portable Media Player Has 5-inch Touchscreen, Haptics, Usual Cowon Goodness

Cowon's upcoming P5 will improve on their A3 and Q5W portable media players (which we've both reviewed) with the addition of a haptics touch-feedback feature. The rest is fairly similar: a 800x480 screen, FM radio, stereo Bluetooth, TV-out, stereo speakers, USB, extreme codec support and 40GB-80GB sizes. There will still be Wi-Fi, but you'll have to get it tacked on after the fact with a dongle. The Korean price is $430ish by the end of the month. No US info yet as far as we know. Maybe we can trade them an early sneak peek at Starcraft 3 for this? [Cowon via CNET]

Keyboard Haptics Mod Turns Shrill PC Speaker Into Soothing Vibration

Modder and frequent terminal user Matt was getting mighty tired of his piercing PC speaker going off with every typo, so he rigged up a nifty DIY haptics setup using a Microsoft keyboard and an old cellphone vibrator triggered by the scroll lock LED. Unless you're playing Oregon Trail in your elementary school's computer lab 15 years ago, you probably haven't heard your PC speaker in a long while, but if you're frequently using the terminal (especially under Linux) for command line tasks, this is the mod for you. [CiboMahto via MAKE]

Scientists Make Bandaid-Sized Flexible Haptic Display

A team of Korean and US scientists have developed a new type of display that delivers information via your biggest organ: your skin (yes, I know what you were thinking.) Their new tactile "display" is flexible enough to be rolled up around your finger like a bandaid, and may be a useful computerized Braille aid. The device uses new precisely-arranged electroactive polymers, which expand when a voltage is applied creating gentle pressure to nearby skin. This, along with the fact it doesn't need complex electronics, means that it's the kind of tech that could easily end up in haptic-feedback data gloves or a "tele-feeling transferring system," which sounds *ahem* fascinating. [Physorg]

Maglev Haptic Control Technology Could be Used for Microsurgery, Robot Control

Gadget Lab got a hands-on demo with a prototype magnetic levitation haptic control unit at Carnegie Mellon University, where they experienced the artifical feel (via magnets) of 3d rabbits, hard surfaces and vinyl records. In addition to simulating the general shapes of objects, the technology can accurately reproduce qualities like texture and elasticity using an interesting dual joystick set up. More »