Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR) are finally taking off with the proliferation of affordable, high-quality headsets. With products like the Meta Quest 2 headset hitting the market for around $400, VR technology has become accessible to many consumers. But the VR headset only engages her two senses, sight and hearing. The industry has desperately sought haptic feedback technology to stimulate the sense of touch. Researchers at City University of Hong Kong have developed a promising system called WeTac It might fit your needs.
WeTac is a thin form factor haptic feedback technology. wearable A patch that can be worn by the user on the hand. Patches range in thickness from 0.22 to 1.00 mm and are mostly transparent. It fits the shape of your hand while stretching to match your skin. This is in stark contrast to the bulky, bulky haptic feedback gloves we’ve seen before. A wrist-worn driver unit provides power and her BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) connectivity. The weight is only 19.2g, the size is 5cm square, and the thickness is 2.1mm. A thin, flexible ribbon cable connects the driver unit to the hand patch.
The wireless skin-integrated electrohaptic system consists of two parts: a soft driver unit and a hand patch. (📷: City University of Hong Kong)
Hand patches cover palms and fingers. Each patch contains his 32 electro-tactile stimulation pixels, computer-controlled points that can stimulate the user’s sense of touch. By passing a small electrical current, each pixel creates a noticeable sensation. WeTac can be configured to adjust the intensity of electro-tactile stimulation, so it can match individual sensitivities and provide varying degrees of force proportional to actions in the virtual world. For example, clapping in VR produces a strong stimulus in all 32 of his pixels, whereas touching his VR button with a fingertip only produces a light stimulus through one pixel.
WeTac has obvious appeal VR game It is useful not only for metaverse interactions, but also in industries such as robotics. A robotic hand equipped with a force sensor can transmit its tactile sensation to the operator via WeTac, enabling fine manipulation that would otherwise be difficult to achieve.
WeTac’s creators have yet to commercialize the technology, but it seems almost inevitable. WeTac offers a practicality not seen in other wearable haptic technologies, and the applications are endless, so the demand will be very high.
