Haptic Light-Emitting Diodes: Miniature, Luminous Tactile Actuators
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arXiv
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2026
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| _version_ | 1866910173637902336 |
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| author | Linnander, Max Visell, Yon |
| author_facet | Linnander, Max Visell, Yon |
| contents | We present Haptic Light-Emitting Diodes (HLEDs), luminous thermopneumatic actuators that directly convert pulsed light into mechanical forces and displacements. Each device packages a miniature surface-mount LED in a gas-filled cavity that contains a low-inertia graphite photoabsorber. The cavity is sealed by an elastic membrane, which functions as a working diaphragm. Brief optical pulses heat the photoabsorber, which heats the gas. The resulting rapid pressure increases generate forces and displacements at the working diaphragm. Millimeter-scale HLEDs produce forces exceeding 0.4 N and displacements of 0.9 mm at low voltages, with 5 to 100 ms response times, making them attractive as actuators providing tactile feedback in human-machine interfaces. Unusually, these actuators are also light-emitting, as a fraction of optical energy is transmitted through the membrane. These photomechanical actuators have many potential applications in tactile displays, human interface engineering, wearable computing, and other areas. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_11043 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Haptic Light-Emitting Diodes: Miniature, Luminous Tactile Actuators Linnander, Max Visell, Yon Human-Computer Interaction Robotics We present Haptic Light-Emitting Diodes (HLEDs), luminous thermopneumatic actuators that directly convert pulsed light into mechanical forces and displacements. Each device packages a miniature surface-mount LED in a gas-filled cavity that contains a low-inertia graphite photoabsorber. The cavity is sealed by an elastic membrane, which functions as a working diaphragm. Brief optical pulses heat the photoabsorber, which heats the gas. The resulting rapid pressure increases generate forces and displacements at the working diaphragm. Millimeter-scale HLEDs produce forces exceeding 0.4 N and displacements of 0.9 mm at low voltages, with 5 to 100 ms response times, making them attractive as actuators providing tactile feedback in human-machine interfaces. Unusually, these actuators are also light-emitting, as a fraction of optical energy is transmitted through the membrane. These photomechanical actuators have many potential applications in tactile displays, human interface engineering, wearable computing, and other areas. |
| title | Haptic Light-Emitting Diodes: Miniature, Luminous Tactile Actuators |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction Robotics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.11043 |