Researchers at Disney have developed a way for people to “feel” images on a touchscreen using electro-vibration. Dr Ali Israr and colleagues at Disney’s research lab in Pittsburgh have made this possible through a vibrational technique which re-creates what happens when a finger tip passes over a real bump. The algorithm is described in detail in the video on this page.
For more information, see also: http://www.disneyresearch.com/project/3d-touch-surfaces/