[D98] TPad watch

The small size of touchscreen smart watches presents a unique interaction challenge. While the “fat-finger problem” is present on tablets and smartphones, it is exacerbated on smart watches, potentially occluding up to half of the display at a time. Haptic feedback can potentially be used to fill this information gap by aiding in location identification and in discriminating between fine selections. We have developed a miniaturized ultrasonic variable friction display integrated with a smart watch. We demonstrate the TPad Watch (Tactile Pattern Display) with two prototypical navigation elements- distinctly textured buttons, and closely spaced menu items in a list.