According to a news article, Toshiba is developing devices that will provide simulated tactile feedback through electrical stimulation. Moreover, they expect these to be available by late 2011. That might be over-optimistic, but it's something to watch, because it could potentially allow us to combine dynamic display with tactile display. Up till now, the only way to do that has been with electro-mechanical pin-grid arrays, like those used in braille displays. I do not believe large electro-mechanical pin-grid arrays can ever be reliable or economical, but it seems like the approach Toshiba is taking might be.
The company that actually makes the tactile feedback technology is Senseg, based in Finland. Toshiba is prototyping applications of the technology in combination with existing touch-screen devices like the iPad.
Here is the article on Toshiba's tactile feedback.
I will look for a more technical article that might tell us more about what sorts of capabilities and limitations we should expect from such devices.
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