Figure 1

Design and functional mechanism of the audio-tactile skinny button. (a) Conceptual design and functional mechanism of the flexible audio-tactile skinny button, in which aural and haptic sensations are produced simultaneously via the fretting vibration phenomenon. (b) Photograph of the audio-tactile skinny button fabricated in this study. (c–e) Different designs of the audio-tactile skinny button: (c) with a circumferential dimple on the flexible cover layer, which reduces the force required to activate the button; (d) with a bump at the center, which generates the haptic vibration without any fingertip contact; and (e) with a bump at the center, which reduces the force required force to activate the button.