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Haptics 2021-2031: Technologies, Market & Players

Including ERM motors, LRAs, piezoelectric ceramics and polymers, surface haptics, SMAs, electroactive polymers, kinaesthetic and contactless haptic feedback


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This report includes a comprehensive review of the technology, players, and market for haptics. The report covers each major type of haptic technology, from the electromagnetic actuators that dominate the market today, to the wide range of emerging actuator options which are also being developed. It also contains detailed discussions around each target market for haptics, including deployment in smartphones, gaming, wearables, AR, VR & MR and other consumer electronics markets, automotive haptics, and a variety of other applications from medical to military and more. For the first time in this edition, the report also includes databases of players and products in haptics, as well as full historic market data back to 2010 and forecasts to 2031. IDTechEx analysts have been covering haptics for more than five years, and this report presents the major findings, opinions and data which have been developed over this time.
 
Haptics are key technologies found throughout many different types of electronic device today. The involve the use of actuators to stimulate the sense of touch and are used as part of the user interface in many different types of products. These haptic effects have a significant amount of variation. Historically, the most prominent application has been around providing notifications via a vibration alert. However, in the last five years there has been significant expansion around other effects, from input confirmation and button replacement, to advanced high definition effects to simulate different virtual sensations. This expansion in use cases is driven by the underlying actuator technology, where new types of actuators, drivers and systems enable the introduction of new effects and the creation of more product value using advanced haptics.
 
Haptic feedback has been included in products such as games console controllers for at least 30 years, and can be found in the majority of smartphones, smartwatches and several other key types of electronic product today. As a result, haptic feedback technology is already deployed in many billions of devices on the market today, with numbers increasing significantly each year. However, with a variety of different markets requiring different types of haptic technologies, and evolution of these markets over time, we have witnessed a shift in the core haptics technology over the last five years, and an even more significant shift in the direction of innovation efforts to develop the haptics technologies of the future.
 
The report takes a systematic approach to looking at every prominent type of technology for haptics, and the markets/products in which they are included. The report looks at various incumbent technologies, including the prominent electromagnetic actuators that dominate the market today: linear resonant actuators (LRAs) and eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors. It also lists many different emerging and more niche haptic actuator technologies, from other electromagnetic actuators such as voice coil motors (VCMs) and other custom variants, to other technologies such as piezoelectric actuators (ceramic, composite and polymer based), shape memory alloys, microfluidic systems, electrostatic systems and several other niche or emerging systems. The report also looks at haptics in several other categories, including various technologies for contactless haptics, specific options for dedicated surface/display haptics or button haptics, through to the established and prominent, but largely separate markets around kinaesthetic haptics. All are covered in detail in the report, including descriptions of the key technology principles, examples of product implementation, interviews with key players, historic market data, market forecasts and independent assessments of the potential for each technology area.
 
This includes looking at specific product data back to 2010, including sales volumes by product sector, and assessment of key product types to understand the haptics that they used. This gives an extremely granular set of historic data, presenting the number of devices sold with each type of haptics, and how this has changed over time. This is a key part of the assessment, allowing for historic trends to be observed, and for future market forecasts to be contextualized against historic data. This extremely granular approach to data collection and forecasting comes from IDTechEx's position as a technology market research firm; extensive research around consumer electronics (particularly including areas such as wearables, AR/VR, and so on), automotive markets (particularly including automotive user interfaces) and even related areas such as robotics provides key data sets which can be used to help understand the haptics market.
 
Historic data on the haptics market, including device sales, spend per device, percentage of devices with haptics and haptics revenue. Full historic data from 2010-2020 and market forecasts from 2021-2031 are included with the report.
Source: IDTechEx
This data reveals several significant challenges and opportunities for haptics. For example, smartphones remain the critical market for haptics, accounting for over 50% of the total revenue in 2020 and allowing the industry to rise to unprecedented sales volumes for actuators. In parallel, the launch of the PS5 with the DualSense controller in 2020 has driven a new focus towards haptics as it relates to console gaming and related interfaces. However, as volume growth in these key industries has plateaued, companies throughout the value chain are exploring new opportunities where haptics can generate additional value.
 
For example, haptics is a particular piece in the VR puzzle which many leading players in that industry have identified as one of their key technology challenges. Similarly, adoption of haptics into the automotive space is now beginning to accelerate, from various systems for driver alerts, to use in infotainment systems, and beyond. The report looks at the current dynamic for each key industry sector (smartphones, tablets, laptops, games console controllers, handheld games consoles, wearables, VR/AR/MR, other electronic devices, vehicles, other haptic devices), as well as specific case studies for specific ideas for new places where haptics can be used (in VR, automotive, as button haptics, as surface/display haptics, kinaesthetic haptics, contactless haptics).
 
The most critical part of the research behind this report is the interviews that IDTechEx analysts have conducted with players throughout the value chain. IDTechEx analysts develop technical expertise in specific fields of coverage, enabling a critical understanding of how different technologies compare. For the first time, this report also comes with a database of companies and products within the haptics space, compiled along with the research. The report also contains more than 30 full interview profiles, in which the IDTechEx team has visited, or conducted phone interviews with key leadership and/or technical personnel in each of the companies mentioned. IDTechEx have been covering the haptics space for more than 5 years, with parallel relevant technology coverage going back even further. This means that IDTechEx has developed a large network in the space, attended many of the leading events, and has a key understanding of the current industry dynamic.
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Table of Contents
1.EXECUTIVE INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY
1.1.What are haptics?
1.2.How the sense of touch works
1.3.Types of haptics: Features
1.4.Types of haptics: Technology
1.5.Types of haptics: Applications and markets
1.6.Types of haptics: Examples
1.7.Haptics revenue by type of haptics, historic (2010-2020)
1.8.The potential value-adds from haptic feedback
1.9.Potential vs actual use of haptics
1.10.Haptics over the last decade
1.11.The old status quo: ERMs dominate
1.12.ERM motors were a difficult incumbent to replace
1.13.LRAs gaining market share since 2015
1.14.Displacing the incumbent technologies
1.15.New markets provide the greatest opportunities
1.16.Emerging haptics find their niches
1.17.The next challenge for haptics
2.HAPTICS TECHNOLOGIES
2.1.Structure of this report
2.2.Core vs peripheral haptics
2.3.Technology Readiness and Adoption
3.ELECTROMAGNETIC HAPTIC ACTUATORS: ERMS, LRAS, VCMS AND EMERGING OPTIONS
3.1.1.Introduction: Electromagnetic actuators
3.2.Eccentric Rotating Mass Motors (ERM motors or ERMs)
3.2.1.Introduction: ERM motors
3.2.2.ERM Drivers
3.2.3.Varying response from an ERM motor
3.2.4.SWOT Analysis - ERM Motors
3.3.Linear resonant actuators (LRAs)
3.3.1.LRA Structure
3.3.2.Apple's Taptic Engine
3.3.3.LRA properties and performance
3.3.4.LRA Drivers
3.3.5.Varying responses in a LRA
3.3.6.SWOT: Linear Resonant Actuators (LRAs)
3.4.Voice coil motors (VCMs) and custom electromagnetic actuators
3.4.1.Voice coil motor structure
3.4.2.Nidec Sankyo: VCMs for haptics
3.4.3.Actronika
3.4.4.Nanoport R&D: Tachammer
3.4.5.Miraisens
3.4.6.SWOT: Voice coil motors (VCMs)
3.5.Performance enhancement with multiple actuators
3.5.1.General Vibration: "SAVANT"
3.5.2.SAVANT with ERM motors - the Gemini Drive
3.6.Electromagnetic haptics: Actuator and driver suppliers
3.6.1.Electromagnetic haptic actuator suppliers: Summary
3.6.2.Profiles of key industry players
3.6.3.Trends and themes in the actuator market
3.6.4.Differentiation between actuator suppliers
3.6.5.Five Forces (Porter) analysis for electromagnetic actuator suppliers
3.6.6.Electromagnetic haptic driver suppliers: Summary
3.6.7.Themes and trends in the haptics driver market
4.PIEZOELECTRIC ACTUATORS
4.1.1.Background and Definitions
4.1.2.Piezoelectric Actuator Materials
4.1.3.Piezoelectric composites are also an option
4.1.4.Value chain for piezoelectric actuators
4.1.5.Device Integration
4.1.6.Challenges with integration: Durability
4.1.7.Driver innovation
4.1.8.Use cases for piezoelectric haptics
4.1.9.Coupled sensor-actuator systems with piezoelectrics
4.1.10.Use in surface haptics
4.1.11.SWOT: Piezoelectric Ceramics
4.2.Company examples
4.2.1.Aito
4.2.2.Boréas Technologies
4.2.3.Texas Instruments
4.2.4.TDK
4.2.5.hap2U
4.2.6.Other players
5.ELECTROACTIVE POLYMERS (EAPS)
5.1.1.Types of electroactive polymer (EAP)
5.1.2.Types of electroactive polymer (continued)
5.1.3.Comparing physical properties of EAPs
5.2.Piezoelectric Polymers
5.2.1.Background and Definitions: Piezoelectric constants
5.2.2.Why use a polymer? - Materials Choices
5.2.3.PVDF-based polymer options for haptic actuators
5.2.4.Novasentis / Kemet
5.2.5.Example demonstrator with polymeric haptics
5.2.6.SWOT: Piezoelectric polymers
5.3.Dielectric elastomers (DEAs)
5.3.1.Comparing DEAs with Ceramics and SMAs
5.3.2.Dielectric elastomers as haptic actuators
5.3.3.Artificial Muscle
5.3.4.Toyoda Gosei
5.3.5.Leap Technology & ElastiSense
5.3.6.CT Systems
5.3.7.SWOT: Dielectric elastomers
5.4.Conclusions: Soft actuators
5.4.1.Technology benchmarking: Soft actuators
6.SHAPE MEMORY ALLOYS (SMAS)
6.1.Introduction to shape memory alloys
6.2.Deploying SMA as conventional haptic actuators
6.3.SMA haptics: some metrics
6.4.SWOT: SMAs
7.SURFACE HAPTICS, DISPLAY HAPTICS & VARIABLE FRICTION
7.1.1.Surface haptics & display haptics: Introduction
7.1.2.Introduction: Surface haptics
7.1.3.Revenue from surface haptics
7.2.Surface haptics with traditional actuator technologies
7.2.1.Bending wave haptic feedback
7.2.2.Redux ST acquired by Alphabet
7.2.3.Nidec Copal - surface haptics
7.2.4.SWOT: Surface haptics with traditional actuators
7.3.Electrostatic Friction (ESF)
7.3.1.Tanvas
7.3.2.O-Film's acquisition of Senseg
7.3.3.SWOT: Electrostatic Friction
7.4.Ultrasonic Vibration (USV)
7.4.1.Ultrasonic Vibration (USV)
7.4.2.hap2U
7.4.3.Taiyo Yuden
7.4.4.SWOT: Ultrasonic vibration
7.5.Other types of surface haptics
7.6.Tactile sheer feedback
7.6.1.Tactile Shear Feedback
7.6.2.Tactical Haptics: custom VR controllers
7.6.3.Shear forces for variable friction displays
7.6.4.Example from TDK
7.7.Microfluidic haptics
7.7.1.Tactus Technology
7.7.2.Microfluidics: Tactus Technology
7.7.3.Other microfluidic haptics: HaptX
7.8.Surface haptics: Conclusions
7.8.1.Technology benchmarking: Surface haptics
7.8.2.Conclusions: Surface haptics
8.KEY TREND: BUTTON HAPTICS
8.1.Haptics for button replacement
8.2.Button haptics: Examples
8.3.Button haptics in smartphones?
8.4.Market forecast: Button haptics
9.CONTACTLESS HAPTICS
9.1.Background: Contactless haptics
9.2.Ultrasonic haptics
9.3.UltraLeap
9.4.Metasonics
9.5.Hanyang University
9.6.Air Vortex
9.7.Technology comparison for contactless haptics
9.8.The commercial reality
9.9.Contactless haptics revenue, historic (2010-2019)
9.10.Contactless haptics revenue, forecast (2020-2030)
10.KINAESTHETIC HAPTICS
10.1.1.Medical
10.1.2.Gaming controllers
10.1.3.Data and forecast for kinaesthetic haptics
10.2.Related topic: Power-assist exoskeletons and apparel
10.2.1.Power assist exoskeletons
10.2.2.The relationship between assistive devices and kinaesthetic haptics
10.3.Roots in medical rehabilitation
10.3.1.Example: Ekso Bionics
10.3.2.Samsung & SAIT
10.3.3.Rehabotics Medical Technology
10.3.4.Sense Glove
10.3.5.BrainCo creates affordable smart prosthetics
10.3.6.Rapael smart glove for home rehab
10.4.Towards other application areas
10.4.1.Power assist suits from UPR
10.4.2.Seoul National University
10.4.3.Sense Glove
10.4.4.Power assist apparel - Seismic
10.4.5.AIM and Racer
10.4.6.Teslasuit
10.4.7.Geographical and market trends
11.OTHER TYPES OF HAPTICS
11.1.1.TEGway - Thermal haptics
11.2.Multi-haptics example for high end haptic feedback
11.2.1.HaptX - High end haptics rig
12.TECHNOLOGY LICENSING IN HAPTICS
12.1.Introduction: Technology licensing
12.2.Introduction: Technology licensing in haptics
12.3.Immersion Corporation
12.4.Key patent portfolio
12.5.Litigation underpins revenue
12.6.Major settlements
12.7.License revenues over time
12.8.Revenue by industry sector over time
12.9.Outlook and conclusions
12.10.Licensing revenue relative to total revenue
12.11.General conclusions and outlook: Haptics licensing
13.MARKETS AND FORECASTS: INTRODUCTION
13.1.1.Forecast details and assumptions
13.1.2.Device sales drive haptics sales (historic data & forecast)
13.1.3.More devices are adding haptics (historic data & forecast)
13.1.4.Haptics spend per device is increasing (historic data & forecast)
13.1.5.Haptics revenue over time (historic data & forecast)
13.2.Haptics forecasts as a derivative of device forecasts
13.2.1.Sales volumes of devices that contain haptics, historic (2010-2019)
13.2.2.Sales volumes of devices that contain haptics, forecast (2020-2030)
13.3.Haptics market data by system type
13.3.1.Haptics revenue by type of haptics, historic (2010-2020)
13.3.2.Haptics revenue by type of haptics, forecast (2020-2030)
13.3.3.Haptics revenue by device type, historic (2010-2019)
13.3.4.Haptics revenue by device type, forecast (2020-2030)
13.4.Haptics market data by technology
13.4.1.Haptics revenue by actuator technology, historic (2010-2019)
13.4.2.Haptics revenue by actuator technology, forecast (2020-2030)
14.SMARTPHONES
14.1.1.Introduction: Haptics in smartphones
14.1.2.Smartphone haptics revenue, historic (2010-2019)
14.1.3.Smartphone haptics revenue, forecast (2020-2030)
15.GAMING (CONSOLE & HANDHELD)
15.1.Introduction: Haptics in console gaming
15.2.PS3 (DualShock 3) - Summary
15.3.PS4 (DualShock 4) - Summary
15.4.PS5 (DualSense) - Summary
15.5.Xbox 360 - Summary
15.6.Xbox One - Summary
15.7.Xbox Series X - Summary
15.8.Gaming (controllers) haptics revenue, historic (2010-2019)
15.9.Gaming (controllers) haptics revenue, forecast (2020-2030)
15.10.Introduction: Haptics in handheld gaming
15.11.Nintendo Switch - summary
15.12.Handheld gaming haptics revenue, historic (2010-2019)
15.13.Handheld gaming haptics revenue, forecast (2020-2030)
16.CASE STUDY: HAPTICS IN VR
16.1.Stimulating the senses: Sight, sound, touch and beyond
16.2.Haptics in mainstream VR today
16.3.PlayStation Move (PSVR controller)
16.4.Oculus Touch (Oculus Rift controller)
16.5.HTC Vive controller
16.6.Categories for the technology today
16.7.Haptics in controllers: inertial and surface actuation
16.8.Example: Surface actuation on a controller
16.9.Motion simulators and vehicles: established platforms
16.10.Motion simulators are still used to show off VR
16.11.Examples: personal VR motion simulators and vehicles
16.12.Examples: personal VR motion simulators and vehicles
16.13.Wearable haptic interfaces
16.14.Wearable haptic interfaces - rings
16.15.Commercial examples: GoTouchVR
16.16.Wearable haptic interfaces - gloves
16.17.Examples: Virtuix, NeuroDigital Technologies
16.18.Wearable haptic interfaces - shoes
16.19.Commercial examples: Nidec, CEREVO, and others
16.20.Wearable haptic interfaces - harnesses and apparel
16.21.Wearable haptic interfaces - exoskeletons
16.22.Commercial examples: Dexta Robotics
16.23.Kinaesthetic haptics
16.24.Kinaesthetic devices: types and process flow
16.25.Exoskeletons
16.26.Manipulandums
16.27.FundamentalVR - haptics for training surgeons in VR
16.28.Robotics: Hacking existing platforms to build kinaesthetic haptics
16.29.The case for contactless haptics in VR
16.30.VR haptics revenue, historic (2010-2019)
16.31.VR haptics revenue, forecast (2020-2030)
17.HAPTICS IN WEARABLES
17.1.Consumer Electronics: Wearables
17.2.Wearables haptics revenue, historic (2010-2019)
17.3.Wearables haptics revenue, forecast (2020-2030)
18.HAPTICS IN OTHER CONSUMER ELECTRONICS
18.1.Consumer Electronics: Tablets
18.2.Consumer Electronics: Laptops
19.CASE STUDY: HAPTICS IN AUTOMOTIVE
19.1.Automotive
19.2.Example: Nidec targeting the automotive sector
19.3.Contactless haptics for automotive: Bosch and Ultrahaptics
19.4.Automotive haptics revenue, historic (2010-2019)
19.5.Automotive haptics revenue, forecast (2020-2030)
20.OTHER HAPTICS
20.1.Home appliance, commercial and other uses
21.MARKET FORECAST DATA
21.1.1.Haptics revenue by device type Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.1.2.Smartphone haptics revenue Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.1.3.Gaming (controllers) haptics revenue Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.1.4.VR haptics revenue Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.1.5.Handheld gaming haptics revenue Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.1.6.Wearables haptics revenue Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.1.7.Automotive haptics revenue Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.2.Haptics market data by technology
21.2.1.Haptics revenue by type of haptics Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.2.2.Haptics revenue by actuator technology Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.2.3.Display haptics revenue Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.2.4.Button haptics revenue Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
21.2.5.Kinaesthetic haptics revenue Historic (2010-2020) & forecast (2021-2031)
22.HAPTICS VALUE CHAIN AND COMPANY DATABASE
22.1.Value chain summary
22.2.Appendixes: Lists of haptics companies and products
23.HAPTICS AT CES 2018
23.1.AIM and Racer
23.2.AIM (Handout)
23.3.Cerevo
23.4.GoTouch VR
23.5.List - CEA Tech
23.6.Metasonics
23.7.Nanomagnetics & Nanoport
23.8.Nanoport - Tachammer
23.9.Nidec (Copal & Sankyo)
23.10.Nidec Copal - surface haptics
23.11.Nidec Sankyo - VCM haptics
23.12.Rehabotics Medical Technology
23.13.Sense Glove
23.14.Tactical Haptics
23.15.Teslasuit
23.16.Ultrahaptics
23.17.Ultrahaptics + Meta + Zerolight
23.18.BrainCo creates affordable smart prosthetics
23.19.Rapael smart glove for home rehab
24.HAPTICS AT CES 2019
24.1.TDK
24.2.Boréas Technologies
24.3.Immersion
24.4.Nidec (booth)
24.5.Teslasuit
24.6.Other haptics at CES
25.HAPTICS AT CES 2020
25.1.Taiyo Yuden
25.2.Tanvas
25.3.Boréas Technologies
25.4.Sensel
25.5.Toyoda Gosei
25.6.Teslasuit
25.7.HaptX
25.8.Sense Glove
25.9.Aito
25.10.hap2U
25.11.TEGway
25.12.Neosensory
25.13.Apollo Neuroscience
25.14.Samsung
25.15.Seoul National University
26.COMPANY PROFILES
26.1.Company Profiles
26.2.AAC Technologies
26.3.Actronika
26.4.AIM - Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics
26.5.51 more - for the full list, please contact research@IDTechEx.com
26.6.Ultraleap
 

Report Statistics

Slides 375
Forecasts to 2031
ISBN 9781913899271
 
 
 
 

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