To create the prototype for Vibweb, I hired a programmer who could program the modulation for Morse code vibrations. We tested several pieces of equipment that would be used for the vibrations.

At first I thought the equipment should be cheap and easy to find like a controller for a computer game. Therefore, we tested using the Microsoft Xbox controller. When this was tested in a pilot test, we found it to be too rough. There were too few modes for the vibrations, making it difficult to feel the differences between the short and long vibrations in the modulated Morse code.

By chance I became acquainted with Parivash Ranjbar who has invented several communication tools using Morse code modulated into vibrations, for people living with deaf blindness. She lent me a C2 tactor which is a small round actuator that can be held between the thumb and forefinger. This actuator can vibrate with much more specific vibrations than the Xbox controller, making it an excellent tool for the modulated Morse code. Hence, we implemented the C2 tactor actuator into the Vibweb prototype. https://eaiinfo.com/product/c2/

A C2 tactor