Haptic or kinesthetic communication recreates the sense of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions 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 enhance the remote control of machines and devices (telerobotics). Haptic devices may incorporate tactile sensors that measure forces exerted by the user on the interface.
Most researchers distinguish
three sensory systems related to sense of touch in humans: cutaneous, kinesthetic and haptic. All perceptions mediated by cutaneous and/or kinesthetic sensibility are referred to as tactual perception. The sense
of touch may be classified as passive and active, and the term "haptic" is often associated with active touch to communicate or recognize objects.
Haptic technology has made it possible to investigate how the human sense of touch works by allowing the
creation of carefully controlled haptic virtual objects.
The word haptic, from the Greek: ἁπτικός (haptikos), means "pertaining to the sense of touch" and comes from the Greek
verb ἅπτεσθαι haptesthai, meaning "to contact" or "to touch".