Haptic exciters simulate mechanical key movement and act as audio drivers
HiWave Technologies PLC (formerly known as NXT), a provider of electronics solutions for audio and haptics, has announced combined haptic touch and audio exciters for touch panels and screens used in industrial, home automation, automotive and consumer electronic products. Applications include pad computers, hand-held and integrated displays and controllers. When used with HiWave driver modules, a pair of NXHX14C exciters disperses bending waves evenly over the surface of touch panels so that users experience the sensation of depressing mechanical keys when they touch the panel surface. The simulated mechanical movement enhances the human interface, enabling faster and more accurate keystrokes. The same transducers also convert the touch screen into a flat panel loudspeaker with nominally flat response from 200 Hz to 15 kHz. This eliminates the need for separate loudspeakers and amplifiers, enabling more compact products with fewer components. It also reduces bill of materials and manufacturing costs. The exciters are designed for use with touch screens up to 19View the Original article
The Waterloo Labs engineering team at National Instruments Corp. have released the LabView source code for EyeMario, which demonstrates how users can control a Nintendo game console using eye movements. The source code is available as a free download from the NI Developer Zone website. The EyeMario reference design, which combines NI software with galvanically isolated data converters from Analog Devices, will also be adapted for use in the treatment of amblyopia (lazy eye) and as an aid for people who have lost the use of their hands. According to Chris Culver, an analogue hardware engineer and Waterloo Labs team member, the movement tracking technique itself is not new 