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Volumetric haptic display

display that similar informs touch instead of vision

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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionFeb 19, 2026
Entity authorityQ7940920 ↗
Source-derived summary

A volumetric haptic display (VHD) is similar to a (visual) volumetric display, but informs touch instead of vision. A VHD projects a touch-based representation of a surface onto a 3D volumetric space. Users can feel the projected surface(s), usually with their hands. The display is otherwise not detectable, and offers no visual feedback. There are no known instances of a fully operational VHD at this time.

Technological implementation

The University of Bristol has developed a method for haptic feedback that could be integrated into a volumetric display. The system uses focused ultrasound to create a haptic object in mid air.

Feedback

The following feedback can be provided to the user:

Surface contact

Surface texture

Vibration

Motion-based/topological changes of surface

See also

Optacon (two-dimensional)

Refreshable Braille Display (two-dimensional).

Wired glove (partial 3D representation).

References

Belexes research project in the Centre for Music Technology at the University of Glasgow.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Volumetric haptic display” as display that similar informs touch instead of vision. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current 147-word lead offers orientation but no explicit four-digit date, so chronology should not be assumed. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. The account is most persuasive where Volumetric, haptic and display can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as display that similar informs touch instead of vision. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Feb 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7940920. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

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  2. Expand the search: follow Volumetric haptic display primary sources, Volumetric haptic display archive and Volumetric research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Volumetric haptic display” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.