When it comes to haptic feedback for virtual reality (VR) applications there’s a variety of avenues for companies to explore. Fairly popular is the vest route like the Woojer ryg, or slightly more unconventional is Ultrahaptics ultrasonic technology. Haptic gloves are another – if not more difficult – route, actually putting touch into play. Haptx is one such company, having revealed its HaptX Gloves last year. Today, the HaptX Gloves Development Kit has been unveiled for the first time.
Designed as an industrial-grade product for advanced simulation rather than home use – the gloves don’t exactly look compact and lightweight with a massive cable off each one – the HaptX Gloves offer touch feedback and natural interaction for VR applications.
The gloves feature 130 tactile actuators that provide touch sensations across the hand and fingertips using HaptX’s patented microfluidic technology. The HaptX Gloves Development Kit includes two gloves which the company claims to offer powerful force feedback and industry-leading motion tracking with sub-millimeter precision.
“With HaptX Gloves, leading automotive and aerospace companies can touch and interact with their vehicles before they are built, radically reducing time and cost for design iterations,” said Jake Rubin, Founder and CEO of HaptX in a statement. “Industrial and government organizations can deploy virtual training solutions that build real muscle memory, providing a safe, cost-effective, and flexible alternative to live training.”
“Realistic touch is the missing link for many enterprise VR applications,” said Jason Welsh, managing director in Accenture’s Extended Reality practice. “We are particularly interested in how HaptX’s precise motion tracking and realistic touch can help enhance the effectiveness of immersive learning solutions for our clients.”
The HaptX SDK supports Unity and Unreal Engine 4 to create or upgrade content for the gloves. The HaptX Gloves Development Kit makes its worldwide debut today at the Future of Storytelling Summit in New York City and the GeekWire Summit in Seattle. For further info and to sign up to Early Access head to the official website. For any more updates, keep reading VRFocus.
via Mint VR