Haptic Keyboard

This page will serve as a project log for my haptic keyboard project. This project is meant to explore using haptic feedback in MIDI devices to enhance the user experience of performance experience. I hope to use this project log to plan the timeline of the project while keeping myself accountable to make steady progress as I go. While I have a computer science background, this project will be my first journey into mechanical and electrical engineering, so I hope to also document my learning of these new skills as well.

I recently put together this basic MIDI keyboard prototype using the Teensy 4.1 and some basic buttons on a breadboard. As a 3 note instrument, it’s nothing revolutionary, but It got my feet wet with the Teensy as well as interacting with the MIDI protocol. Everything beyond this will require new sensors and motors, or beginning the mechanical work, so that’s what I’m starting up next. I don’t have access to my own 3D printer, but I’ve ironed out how and when I can use the printer available at my library, so my plan going forward is to begin learning Fusion 360 to model my first prototypes.

Feb 20, 2026