No human being has ever touched a byte of data. Even though the word “digital” originates from the Latin word for “finger” (“digitus”), digital is all about counting and not about touching. That is a pity, because our hands are magnificent—not only for manipulating things, but also for understanding them. We literally get a grip on things we can touch and play around with.

For a long time, we have been interacting with digital information in a mediated way. We type on a keyboard, and letters and numbers appear on the screen. We move the mouse, and the cursor moves. Now that multitouch screens are mainstream (after a long journey), this mediation has seemingly vanished. We now move, pinch and swipe digital content as if we are touching it. And yet, something is still missing.

Generally, our sense of touch is a two-way street: What we touch, touches us. Sadly, that is rarely the case for digital information. Even with the touch screen, the digital world hides its tactile qualities behind cold glass. It does not live up to the potential of human touch, and the mobile phone's occasional vibration doesn't, either.