Introducing HaptGlove: A Revolutionary Virtual Reality Experience
Virtual reality (VR) technology has come a long way in recent years, but one aspect of the VR experience remains lacking – touch. That is, until now. Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a groundbreaking new product that promises to revolutionize the VR experience for users.
The HaptGlove offers real-time pressure to the fingertips, simulating the texture of objects and providing users with a more realistic and immersive experience in virtual environments.
Real-time Pressure and Texture Simulation
The HaptGlove is designed with haptic feedback and pneumatic control and utilizes the researchers’ microfluidic sensing technology. This innovation helps to shrink the size and weight of the glove, eliminating the need for bulky accessories.
With five pairs of haptic feedback modules, one for each finger, the glove is controlled wirelessly to read the VR object’s shape, size, and texture.
A microfluidic pneumatic indenter delivers real-time pressure to the wearer’s fingertips, allowing them to “sense” contact when the avatar touches, grabs, and moves the VR object. The HaptGlove further restricts the wearer’s finger positions to simulate the shape and texture of the object, offering a truly immersive experience.
Better than Existing Technologies
While haptic gloves are not new, the researchers note that products currently available on the market typically use vibration motors and do not provide a realistic sense of touch. These gloves cannot accurately simulate the shape or hardness of VR objects.
Others that use pneumatic actuators to generate a sense of pressure are often bulky and restrict the user’s movement.
With a visual-haptic delay of fewer than 20 milliseconds, HaptGlove is faster than conventional haptic gloves. Weighing in at 250 grams, it is also lighter than its competitors, which typically weigh 450 grams.
The Future of VR
“VR should not be just about a visual and auditory experience; it should present the ability to interact with VR objects,” says Lim Chwee Teck, director of NUS’ Institute for Health Innovation and Technology, who leads the research team.
The HaptGlove is the answer to that problem, offering a more realistic and immersive experience for users.
The NUS researchers have filed for a patent and are looking to commercialize the glove within two years. Efforts are led by the university’s spinoff unit, Microtube Technologies, which focuses on the development of sensing technologies for games and the metaverse.
The team aims to sell the HaptGlove at half the price of products currently sold in the market, which typically cost between SG$ 5,000 and SG$ 20,000.
Wrapping Up
HaptGlove is a revolutionary new product that promises to change the VR experience for users. With real-time pressure and texture simulation, the HaptGlove offers a more immersive and realistic experience than anything currently available on the market.
