Haptic or kinesthetic communication recreates the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations or movements to the user. This mechanical stimulation can be used to assist in the creation of virtual objects in a computer simulation, to control such virtual objects and to improve remote control of machines and devices (telerobotics). Haptic devices can incorporate tactile sensors that measure the forces exerted by the user on the interface.
Most researchers distinguish three sensory systems related to the sense of touch in humans: cutaneous, kinesthetic and haptic. All perceptions mediated by cutaneous and / or kinesthetic sensitivity are called tactile perception. The sense of touch can be classified as passive and active, and the term "haptic" is often associated with active touch to communicate or recognize objects.
Haptic technology has enabled us to investigate how the human sense of touch works by allowing the creation of carefully controlled tactile virtual objects. The haptic word, from the Greek ἁπτικός (haptikos), means "belonging to the sense of touch" and comes from the Greek verb ἅπτεσθαι haptesthai, which means "to contact" or "to touch."