Screens That Touch You Back

By Wilson Rothman

Screens on everything from ATMs to TV remotes have got touchy. Rather than push real buttons, you touch onscreen icons. Such screens can present difficulties for the visually impaired, however, and can be a danger when mounted in cars. To address those problems, Alpine Electronics developed PulseTouch, a screen that vibrates under your finger, changing the sensation with low-voltage impulses under the screen's plastic skin as you move. The result is virtual topography. Since the sensations vary, depending on whether you're touching an icon or a blank area, you can finger through options without taking your eyes off the road. Alpine's first PulseTouch product is the IVA-D300 in-dash DVD player and receiver ($1,500), left, whose 7-in. screen can display navigation, music options or DVDs. The videos won't play unless the car is parked. --By Wilson Rothman