Haptic feedback technology

Every haptic effect starts with an actuator, the small part that turns current into motion, and a driver that decides how that current is shaped. The actuator comparison covers the four families in use today, eccentric rotating mass motors, linear resonant actuators, piezo parts, and nonlinear tap designs, and what each one can and can't do.

The guide to haptic waveforms and drivers explains overdrive, braking, and resonance tracking, the techniques that make the same actuator feel crisp or sloppy, and measuring haptic quality covers the acceleration, timing, noise, and latency tests engineers use to compare parts. For the longer view, The Evolution of Haptic Feedback follows the shift away from buzzing motors, and Nonlinear Actuators and the Wearable UI Revolution looks at tap mechanisms in depth.