Applications of smart materials to haptics

The papers in this special section present recent results in research related to the application of smart materials to haptics. Smart materials have been used in other areas like robotics, aeronautics, and medicine to mention a few. The articles selected for publication in this special section target tactile displays to be explored with the hand or fingers, tactile displays made of thin films to be worn by the users, and novel force feedback devices for the finger tips.