Immersion to bring force feedback to LCDs

Lack of tactile feedback has long been a usability issue with tablet PCs, ATMs and other touchscreen devices.
"Pressing" an onscreen button is nothing like pressing a physical button, or even like clicking an onscreen button with a mouse. Immersion Corp., which developed the Touchsense force-feedback technology used in some joysticks, hopes to overcome this with a version of Touchsense for LCD displays. The system would work by positioning a clear overlay containing touch-sensitive actuators on top of the screen; software would trigger a " vibro-tactile effect" when the user touches the display; different effects can accompany different onscreen controls, so that, for example, a slider feels different from a button. The company hopes to have specs available for manufacturers within 6-9 months, with manufacturing costs as low as $5 per screen for large-volume, small-screen products.