Sony Comes Up with Stylus That Can Control the Friction on the Ball Tip

Touchscreen use via finger presses and swipes, especially on pressure-sensitive displays, is comfortable because users can feel exactly how they interact with the display.

Styluses always keep people a bit disconnected though. Sony aims to fix this.

In its patent filing (not yet approved) it defines a haptic feedback stylus, which can control the friction level of its tip.

That way, depending on what the owner is doing (writing, drawing, etc.), the pen will exhibit higher or lower resistance when streaking across the screen.

A "rolling contact ball gripping mechanism" will be responsible for producing the effect, depending on instructions received from the phone or tablet. Actuators will increase or decrease friction on the roller bar tip.

Sony's patent filing mentions the ability to feel "carving and molding" 3D objects, and also if the characters are "fatigued or damaged" in a game.