Abstract: In telemanipulation or telerobotics, It is hoped that the operator receive the remote tactile sensing information in tactile form. A tactile display device (TDD) can meet this demand. In this paper, we introduced the principle of the TDD, and made a classification. We also presented the characteristics of the four tactile receptors of human being, and prospected the application and future development of the TDD in telerobotics and telemanipulation.