Future Apple Pencils may sport haptic feedback for texture simulation

Future Apple Pencils may provide haptic (that is, relating to the sense of touch) feedback for texture simulation, as hinted by a new patent filing (number 20190384402) by Apple.

The tech giant says a stylus (even though the company has said the Apple Pencil isn’t a stylus) can be utilized to provide input by contacting a touch panel of an electronic device. The touch panel may include a touch sensitive surface that provides texture sensations that would make using the ApplePencil to write and draw feel even more like you’re using paper rather than a digital device.

Here’s the summary of the patent filing: “A stylus can include a housing and a tip. A force-sensing system can detect movement of the tip relative to the housing when a force is applied to the tip. A haptic feedback system can move the tip relative to the housing, for example by inducing a magnetic field in magnetic elements connected to the tip and the housing. 

“The haptic feedback can be used to render texture sensations to simulate drawing on a textured surface with the stylus. As such, the same tip that is used to provide inputs can receive haptic feedback during use. The user can continue to use the tip for input even as haptic feedback is also being applied to the tip.”