SBIR Phase I: Dynamic Component for Haptic Systems

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to develop a dynamic user interface for touchscreen devices where transparent, physical buttons rise out a touchscreen on demand, then disappear when not required, becoming invisible to the human eye and imperceptible to touch. The buttons are reconfigurable, dynamic, and can take different shapes, sizes, and arrays such as a QWERTY keyboard. The goal of this Phase I project is to investigate and design a MEMS-based microvalve system that enables multi-array, dynamic button layouts as well as individually addressable buttons to provide a dynamic user interface. This research will advance the science of dynamic touchscreen technology and prove out the feasibility of its approach. Specifically, the research begins with extensive numerical simulations to explore the parametric sensitivity of the MEMS-value architectural elements as they relate to the overall value requirements for the haptic touchscreen. With the critical parameters understood, a set of valves will be fabricated and tested to provide experimental data to support the numerical models. Following analysis of the experimental data, parameters of the optimal MEMS values will be defined, providing a path for a Phase-II proposal. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will be significant given the adoption of touchscreens into many handheld and portable devices. While touchscreens provide a versatile user experience, they provide no tactile experience, so device manufacturers are seeking new solutions. Haptics solutions (such as vibration) attempt to simulate touch, but all are "feedback" technologies, vibrating only after touching the screen. In contrast, this new, assistive technology creates physical, addressable buttons, where users can rest their fingers on top and input data by pressing the buttons. The technology would appeal to multiple age groups since it can be used in different touchscreen devices across multiple product segments, such as mobile, gaming, home controls and automotive markets. Top device manufacturers have expressed consistent and unwavering interest in this technology. Studies have been conducted that verify common sense: physical buttons decrease typing error rates compared to flat touchscreens. Moreover, tactile feedback reduces both mental and physical demand. While a dynamic, reconfigurable surface will have a significant impact on mass-market devices, there is also an opportunity to leverage these MEMS valves in bio-medical applications and to assist people with disabilities, in particular, the vision impaired or blind, and those with diminished fine-motor skills.