#senseg

The suspicion is that the company which has provided the technology is Senseg, a Finnish startup whose executives have in the past few days become increasingly reticent about discussing any contact that they might or might not have with Apple.

That's from today's story in the Guardian which is, apparently, responsible for the last minute rumors that the new iPad will include haptic technology. At the moment, I'm seeing 2488 articles on Google News related to the iPad 3, when I searched for "haptic."

This, however, is a disclaimer at the bottom of that Guardian story:

Charles Arthur's trip to Finland was paid for by Finnfacts, an independent media service organisation that provides contacts between international media and Finnish business.

Looks like my pie-in-the-sky prediction might be right.

two: Since the introduction of multitouch in 2007's iPhone launch event, the touchscreen technology didn't evolve much. Sure, there are screens that support up to 10 inputs at a time, but it's more of the same and not something completely new.

With its unique feedback technology, Senseg can stimulate our touch to feel various kinds of textures through a flat and smooth touchscreen. This feat is achieved by creating electric fields that interact with our fingertips at specific locations on the screen. Combine that with no-annoying-glasses-required 3D display panels and we're set for some awesome UI possibilities. 

A bloggy press release is making the rounds today from Senseg, but the concept is so cool it's worth clicking through to browse around the vendor website. The VC comes from "the founding engineers, Skype, and the Finnish Early Stage Growth fund," which at least sounds promising. File this one under Cool Stuff To Watch:

Senseg technology applies an innovation in biophysics to bring a haptic effect to the traditionally passive touch user interface. When felt through one’s fingertips, it provides a sophisticated sensory experience. Whether flat or curved, transparent or opaque, the Senseg solution can be easily applied to any touch interface surface. The solution package comes complete with tixel laminate technology, electronic module, and software APIs.

As very tiny electrical charges pass into the tixel (a portmanteau meaning tactile pixel) elements, the individual tixels generate a controlled electric field which extends several millimeters above the surface. Senseg E-Sense is a wholly new way of creating a sophisticated sensation of touch without the use of less sensitive haptic technology like vibration or mechanical actuators such as motors, piezoelectric actuators or electro-active polymers.