On mobility devices, human sensory perception, and immersive technology.

Think back
Complexity and technology
Sensory harmony
Immersion, haptics, and VibeTonz technology

Think back
Beginning with seven-segment LED text pagers, mobile devices have vibrated for several years. Even in the beginning, those simple pagers got the job done when they alerted you to some important event — they got your attention. And back when mobile phones were an expensive novelty, their limited means of communication — seven-segment LEDs for graphics, beeping piezo element for audio alerting, eccentric rotating mass actuator for vibration — were largely sufficient. After all, just being able take a call other than at your desk was a minor miracle. Somewhere between then and now, mobile devices became commonplace. Today, they are our lifelines. They keep us available and in touch, with dozens or hundreds of phone numbers conveniently available in our personal phone book.

Complexity and technology
Mobile devices have become much more complex multimodal information centers used for work and play, voice and data. They sport full-color high-resolution displays, stereo sound, and an increasing amount of rich content and services. But the basic vibration that has alerted mobile device users for so many years hasn't evolved to match the technological improvements in other areas. The VibeTonz System changes that and the result is actually quite amazing — because, by advancing vibe technology, it turns out we can make full use of our ability to discriminate among a variety of touch sensations — and that makes a big difference in the way we manage complexity.

Sensory harmony
Sensory perception depends on two critical components, threshold and fidelity.

Perception requires that a minimum threshold be exceeded. Degenerating a color picture into pure black and white degrades it to the point that its richness is lost. Degenerating a song into a monotone buzz no longer makes it music: All you hear is the rhythm or basically noise. But it's also true that our sensitivity fluctuates with changing levels of stimulation. Images stabilized on the retina gradually fade from view. To perceive well, we need balanced intensity.

Perception also erodes, and our discrimination becomes limited, when there is a lack of fidelity, or quality. With the proper balance of intensity and fidelity, perception goes from protecting us from noise (or too much stimulation) to surrounding us with sensory presence, sensory harmony.

Using all our spatial senses — sight, hearing, and touch — makes for a higher fidelity, higher quality environment, one in which perception is raised, and with it, the ability to deal with complexity.

Immersion, haptics, and VibeTonz technology
Immersion, with its history in developing touch feedback technology for several industries, is the leader in haptic technology, the science of touch. We hold hundreds of haptic-related patents, have been in business for over 10 years, and have key business relationships with leaders from industries as diverse as Automotive to Gaming and Aerospace to Medical Devices. Our role in these relationships has been to supply unique haptic solutions that infuse realism and intuitive understanding into the user experience.

VibeTonz technology comes from this long line of research and development that has produced tested solutions. For the Mobility industry, the VibeTonz solution comprises development tools, algorithms, and actuator technology.

We invite you to learn more about Immersion, our history of innovation, technological strength, and strong commitment to personalized customer service. Contact us at info@immersion.com.