Touch input is the universal approach for communicating intention to interactive computing systems. However, touchscreens are flat, solid surfaces that fail to reproduce the qualities of real-world object interaction (e.g. deformation, stiffness, springiness). Further, their expressivity is fundamentally bounded by a single measurable dimension: contact with a solid, touch-sensitive surface.
This project will radically increase the expressivity of touchscreen-based interaction by co-locating three force modalities into a single visual display surface (force input, resistive- and kinetic- force feedback). These new displays will allow users to 'push through' a display and for the display to 'push back'.