Yasuaki Kakehi and several colleagues have been working for a considerable time now on the development of haptic interfaces and technology to thereby add a third medium – in addition to audio and video – to the creative repertoire available to digital art and design. To precisely describe what they’re after, Kakehi & Co. have coined the term “techtile,” a portmanteau word that combines “technology” and “tactile.”

A Toolbox

Despite their concerted efforts, the development of haptic applications and tools is still in its infancy. To speed things up and pique the interest of the digital community, Team Kakehi has developed the TECHTILE toolkit. This prototype includes a microphone as haptic recorder, a few tiny vibrators as haptic reactors, and a signal amplifier that can also generate low-frequency vibrations below the auditory threshold.