Haptics by time reversal of elastic waves

The reversibility of structural elastic waves is used to refocus on arbitrary focal points. This enables producing a localized haptic interaction to a fingertip. Based on a numerical model a virtual calibration algorithm was developed to support the design of a vibro-acoustic haptic system for transparent touch sensitive devices. Omitting time consuming empirical calibrations this algorithm was used to build up a demonstrator (evaluation model), which supports the generation of local haptic signals on a surface. Finally the performance and acceptance of the concept was verified by a study with 70 persons.