A fascinating article in the new issue of The Economist discusses a field which is sure to revolutionize industrial design: Haptics.

Haptics, long explored by designers such as Japan's Kenya Hara, can be loosely defined as the science of touch and tactility. The satisfying click of a particular keyboard's buttons or the way a Playstation controller vibrates when you blow up an on-screen tank are examples of haptics.

Apple's iPhone made a stir for its "virtual" buttons, which appear only on a touch-screen. Samsung is trying to do Apple one better with their SCH-W559 cell phone; the "virtual" buttons on Samsung's touchscreen actually simulate the feeling of pressing a mechanical button.

The Economist article discusses such fascinating technologies as "skin stretch," whereby a flexible surface is stretched over mechanics that can alter their shape, rather like human skin and muscles, and provide feedback to the user through tactility. Alas, the article, unlinkable here, is available online only to those of us with (wholly worthwhile, in my opinion) subscriptions to the magazine. It's also on the newsstands, in the May 8th issue. But those of you without access can read about haptics here.