History and Discovery of Electrovibration
– In the summer of 1950, E. Mallinckrodt observed that a shiny brass electric light socket felt different when the light was on compared to when it was off.
– Mallinckrodt conducted a scientific investigation by connecting an aluminum plate to a power supply with a variable current-limiting resistor.
– He found that the feeling of friction only occurred when there was an insulating barrier between the conductive surface and the sliding finger.
Electrostatic-Force Theory of Electrovibration
– Applying a time-varying voltage between an electrode and an insulated ground plane creates an electrostatic force.
– When a finger scans over an insulated plate with a time-varying voltage, the finger acts as the induced ground plane.
– The induced static electricity generates an electric force field between the finger and the surface.
– The resulting force is too small to be perceived by human skin, but when the finger moves on the surface, a frictional force is felt.
References and Further Research
– References include scientific studies and research papers on electrovibration.
– Limitations of the electrostatic-force theory have been identified, and the parallel-plate capacitor model used in the theory is not comprehensive enough.
– Other factors and mechanisms may be involved in the perception of electrovibration.
– More research is needed to fully understand electrovibration.
Categories and Hidden Categories
– Electrovibration falls under the category of electricity and sensory receptors.
– The Wikipedia page on electrovibration contains hidden categories.
– Some articles linked in the references may require a subscription for full access.
– The page contains statements that are not backed by citations.
– Some statements in the article are from October 2017 and may need updating.
Notable Works and Applications
– Disney Research has developed a technology called TeslaTouch, which utilizes electrostatic vibration for tactile feedback.
– A hybrid natural/artificial electrostatic actuator has been developed for tactile stimulation in the field of microtechnologies in medicine and biology.
– These notable works demonstrate the potential applications of electrovibration technology. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrovibration
The history of electrovibration goes back to 1954. It was first discovered by accident and E. Mallinckrodt, A. L. Hughes and W. Sleator Jr. reported “... that dragging a dry finger over a conductive surface covered with a thin insulating layer and excited with a 110 V signal, created a characteristic rubbery feeling”. In their experiment, the finger and the metal surface create a capacitive setup. The attraction force created between the finger and the surface was too weak to perceive, but it generated a rubbery sensation when the finger was moving on the surface. This sensation was named "electrovibration" by the group. From around early 2010 Senseg and Disney Research are developing technology that could bring electrovibration to modern touchscreen devices.
