Touchwaves joins a Provincie Noord-Brabant MedTech initiative with Bilihome and 2M Engineering to bring dual-use haptic wearables from defence to healthcare.

For decades, military aviation has tried to solve pilot overload by adding more visual and auditory information. But research increasingly points to a different answer: touch. This article explores how haptic systems can reduce cognitive workload, improve situational awareness and strengthen decision-making across all six stages of the kill chain, from target detection to engagement under extreme conditions.

The F-35, Apache, and F-16 each push pilots toward cognitive overload through different mechanisms. This analysis shows how a single sensory channel — the tactile one — addresses each one on its own terms.

In high-stakes modern defence aviation, reaction times decide outcomes. As cockpit technology evolves, we have optimized engines, airframes, and radar to the edge of physics. Yet one critical constraint remains unchanged: human biology. To move beyond this limit, engineers are turning to the fastest communication channel in the human body: the sense of touch.

EDIF: European Defence Innovation Forum 2025, main insights.

Touchwaves: Embodied Haptics for Human Performance