Eve Hoggan, researcher at the University of Glasgow, says that the greatest problem with touchscreen devices is that they cannot be used efficiently for text entry, since the edges of virtual keys cannot be felt. The feeling of key edges would help recognizing mispressed keys and correction afterwards and the lack of this usually results more mistypes during text entry via a touchscreen. The use of virtual keys requires much more attention and if someone's in a hurry then there is no time to constantly stare and concetrate on the tiny buttons. The researcher pointed out that a feedback that can be felt with the fingers is much more natural for the brain and it can be processed much faster than images.
The researchers are working on a feedback system based on new kinds of vibrations that would make key edges more easy to identify, thus helping a more precise use. The device would give feedback not only at keypresses but there would be small vibrations when our fingers reach the edge or surface of a virtual button. The press and realease of a virtual key would be signaled with a different kind of vibration, thus creating a fell of a real physical button popping back to its place. This new type of solution could of course be used on other touchscreen models besides the iPhone as it only needs a proper control for the vibration engine.
Translated by Szaszati
