Surface-Changing Controllers

A companion to the shape-shifting controllers, driven by the same goal: counter information overload and distraction. The question here was whether the surface of a controller or an armrest, rather than its shape, could carry information to the driver's hand.

Surfaces that change texture and stiffness in real time. Ridges, bumps or smooth areas on a controller communicate the current menu, a navigation cue, an alert or a system state, and suggest how to interact. Turning an input device into an input/output device brings tactile feedback into the loop and load-balances the driver's senses.

I worked on the ideation, the patenting, the proof-of-concept research and the creation of the film that outlines the in-vehicle experience.

A dynamically textured surface on the controller or armrest is modulated by the infotainment system. The texture pattern maps to system information, and stiffness can be varied as a separate feedback channel. The driver reads the state through the hand, keeping visual attention on the road and leaving the auditory channel uncluttered.

Two granted patents: one for dynamically changing tactile surfaces of a haptic controller, and one for feedback by modifying stiffness. Several concepts from the film were later developed into functional prototypes.