Haptics for Human-Computer Interaction: From the Skin to the Brain.

In recent years haptics has received considerable attention from the field of Human-Computer Interactions (HCI) for its potential to provide more tangible and immersive interfaces. In this work, I present a selected review of research in haptics in an attempt to provide HCI and other fields a framework for understanding haptics that will help those fields design better interfaces and, ultimately, new and better experiences for those who interact with technology every day. This collection of essays exposes the reader to the haptics field, the haptic sense, and some examples of haptic technology. They cover over fifty years of research and terminology thus will be a handy reference for any researcher. In the conclusion, I examine the history in light of my own experiences and provide my take on haptics, HCI and what both communities can do to improve research and design.