Flexible and bendable vibrotactile actuator using electro-conductive polyurethane

The rapid development of nano technology and mobile devices has created high demand for shape changing mobile devices in order to provide users with more functions in less space and improved usability. However, the fundamental incompatibility between flexible displays and rigid actuator components has brought a huge barrier for commercialization of this technology. This paper presents a flexible and bendable vibrotactile actuator that can be easily applied to shape changing mobile devices. The proposed vibrotactile actuator is made with an electro-conductive membrane based on polyurethane, a base membrane, and an airgap. Actuation of the proposed actuator is controlled by a polarity of both charged membranes and the actuator performance can be modulated by increasing level of biased electric potential. A user experiment showed that the proposed actuator can provide vibrations with sufficient strength for perception.