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Tiny wearable simulates a lifelike sense of touch for VR experiences


Today's virtual reality games and content can be pretty immersive, but they largely miss the mark when it comes to haptic feedback. Wouldn't it be cool to 'feel' a textured object, or perceive the sensation of running your hand over rich fabric in VR?

By combining a newly developed actuator with full freedom of motion, Bluetooth connectivity, an accelerometer, and a tiny battery, this little gizmo can wirelessly simulate a range of sensations, including vibrations, stretching, pressure, sliding and twisting. Depending on where the haptic is mounted – say, on the back of your hand or on a fingertip – the onboard accelerometer delivers information to the system about whether you're moving quickly or slowly, and in which direction. In another example, the system helped convert the sound of music into physical touch, so a user could differentiate between tones and instruments by the direction of vibrations they were feeling from the wearable.

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