Haptics 2023-2033: Technologies, Markets, and Players

This report covers haptics from several different angles. It thoroughly introduces dominating haptic technologies such as ERMs and LRAs, and various emerging haptic options for the market. The prominent use cases like core device haptics, button haptics, surface haptics and more are also included. In addition, this report gives a granular market analysis with 75 profiled examples and forecasts by sectors, covering haptics in smartphones, wearables, gaming, VR, and automotive.

Haptics have been an increasingly prominent and inseparable part of many familiar devices, from smartphones and games console controllers to cars and robotic applications. The haptics market has been thriving and rapidly growing since 2010, and some significant changes are expected to happen in the short-term, leading to different market shares of the incumbent and emerging haptics technologies. Overall, IDTechEx is optimistic for the market growth of the haptics industry over the next decade.

This report includes a comprehensive review of the technology, players, and market for haptics. The report covers each major type of haptic technology, from the electromagnetic actuators that dominate the market today, to the wide range of emerging actuator options which are also being developed. Some of the latest updates include the review of contactless haptics, thermal haptics and robotic haptic sensing. The report also contains detailed discussions around each target market for haptics, including deployment in smartphones, gaming, wearables, AR, VR & MR and other consumer electronics markets, automotive haptics, and a variety of other applications from medical to military and more. The report also includes a database of players and products in haptics, as well as full historic market data back to 2010 and forecasts to 2033. Having been covering the topic for more than seven years, each year IDTechEx analysts update the forecasts with continued primary research in the industry, offering the up-to-date and best estimation for the future market, along with other major findings, opinions and data developed over time.

Historically, the most prominent application of haptics has been around providing notifications via a vibration alert. However, with the increasing attention to the potential value haptics can provide, there has been significant expansion around other effects, from input confirmation and button replacement, to advanced high definition effects to simulate different virtual sensations. This expansion in use cases is driven by the underlying actuator technology, where new types of actuators, drivers and systems enable the introduction of new effects and the creation of more product value using advanced haptics.

This IDTechEx report takes a systematic approach to looking at every prominent type of technology for haptics, and markets/products therein. Various incumbent technologies are analysed, including the prominent electromagnetic actuators that dominate the market today, linear resonant actuators (LRAs) and eccentric rotating mass (ERM) motors. It also considers many different emerging and more niche haptic actuator technologies including other electromagnetic actuators, piezoelectric actuators (ceramic, composite and polymer based), shape memory alloys, microfluidic systems, electrostatic systems and thermal haptics, contactless haptics, etc. The report also provides insight into trending use cases like surface/display haptics, button haptics and kinaesthetic haptics. All are covered in detail in the report, including descriptions of the key technology principles, examples of product implementation, interviews with key players, historic market data, market forecasts, and independent assessments of the potential for each technology area.

It is very important to understand haptics revenue heavily relies on the sales volume of relevant devices. The report gives an extremely granular set of historic data, presenting the number of devices sold with each type of haptics. The data collection and forecasting come from IDTechEx’s position as a technology market research firm; IDTechEx has done extensive research around consumer electronics (particularly including areas such as wearables, AR/VR, and so on), automotive markets (particularly including automotive user interfaces) and even related areas such as robotics. These provide key data sets which can be used to help understand the haptics market. Together with solid ground assumptions and information acquired directly from the industry, the forecasts are created from IDTechEx’s database. In-depth narratives are built around the forecasts to give insights into the future dynamic market trends.

In the past, smartphones have been the critical market for haptics, accounting for over 55% of the total revenue in 2021 and allowing the industry to rise to unprecedented sales volumes for actuators. In parallel, the launch of some successful products, such as the Nintendo Switch, the PS5 DualSense controller, and the Oculus Quest 2 VR set, have driven a new focus towards haptics as it relates to the interfaces on other devices. However, as volume growth in these key industries has plateaued, companies throughout the value chain are exploring new opportunities where haptics can generate additional value.

One way of doing so is to implement haptics in a new space. For example, adoption of haptics into the metaverse and automotive industry is now beginning to accelerate. The report looks at the current dynamic for each key industry sector (e.g. smartphones), as well as specific case studies for specific ideas for new places where haptics can be used (e.g. haptics revenue will be fast growing in VR and automotive). Another approach of generating more value in haptics is to adopt more advanced haptic technologies. A certain degree of commoditisation of the incumbent technologies (i.e. ERMs and LRAs) has been observed. By providing other technologies with better performance and the ability to offer a higher level of user experience, market players can create more margin for the market.

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