Bipolar projected haptics with balanced loading

A method comprising:

• providing a substrate having a touch surface comprising a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein a plurality of haptic electrodes and a plurality of island electrodes are both arranged on the top surface of the substrate and a plurality of transmit electrodes and a plurality of receive electrodes are both arranged on the bottom surface of the substrate;
• coupling a control device to the transmit electrodes and the receive electrodes;
• applying, by the control device, bipolar electrical signals to the plurality of transmit electrodes;
• detecting one or more touch locations of a user's appendage on the touch surface via the bipolar electrical signals to the plurality of transmit electrodes;
• and
• modulating the friction between the user's appendage on the touch surface via selective application of bipolar electrical signals to the plurality of transmit electrodes adjacent the one or more touch locations,
• wherein the plurality of haptic electrodes are disposed such that the touch location of the user's appendage on the touch surface will always engage more than one of the plurality of haptic electrodes;
• wherein the plurality of haptic electrodes and the plurality of island electrodes do not have any ohmic or direct connection to other conductive elements;
• wherein each of the plurality of haptic electrodes are substantially aligned with and capacitively coupled to a corresponding two of the plurality of transmit electrodes.