Researchers create 3D displays that can be seen and felt using optotactile surfaces — millimeter-scale pixels rise into perceptible bumps when struck by brief p

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Researchers create 3D displays that can be seen and felt using optotactile surfaces — millimeter-scale pixels rise into perceptible bumps when struck by brief p

Study demonstrates high-density tactile 3D graphics powered entirely by projected light.

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(Image credit: Science Robotics) Researchers at UC Santa Barbara have demonstrated a display technology that renders dynamic graphics that can be both seen and physically felt, according to a new study published in Science Robotics . The work introduces thin optotactile surfaces populated with millimeter-scale pixels that rise into perceptible bumps when struck by brief pulses of projected light.

The project began with a simple question UCSB Professor Yon Visell posed in 2021: could the same light that draws an image also generate a mechanical response strong enough to be felt? After a year of modeling and unsuccessful prototypes, UCSB's Max Linnander produced a working proof of concept in late 2022. A single pixel, actuated only by flashes from a small diode laser and containing no embedded electronics, generated a clear tactile pulse when touched.

The full display architecture described in the study was built on that work, with each pixel consisting of a small air cavity beneath a thin surface membrane and a suspended graphite film. When illuminated, the film absorbs and converts light into a rapid temperature rise. The heated air beneath the membrane expands, pushing the surface outward by up to a millimeter.

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