Haptic technology
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Smellable VR is coming whether you want it or not
Modern virtual reality is a treat for the senses. Well, two of them at least. "Sight and sound have been the staple of VR environments," Benjy Li, a postdoctoral researcher with Stanford's Virtual Human Interaction Lab, told Engadget. Haptic feedback is starting to allow for basic touch, but the next radical evolution in VR could actually come via your nose (and/or mouth).
'Phantom sensation' haptic tech recreates the feeling of getting virtually stabbed
When it comes to gaming, the more realistic the better, right? Sure, it's all fun until we start talking about being virtually sliced with a battle axe or pelted with a rocket launcher -- exactly the idea behind a new technology dubbed "phantom sensation." Researchers at the University of Electro-Communications know that to virtually recreate the feeling of touch, they need to apply vibrations to two points of skin. Taking the idea one step further, they applied the stimuli to either side of the body to mimic what it might feel like if the object actually passed through. Using a tweaked Wii, as an item in the game travels through the player's hand, the top sensor vibrates intensely at first, then subsides to zero. At this point, the bottom probe kicks in, going from zero to strong until the object is cleared -- leaving the player feeling slightly violated and virtually gored. Check out the (relatively) painless demonstration video after the break.
KDDI haptic smartphone prototype promises up to seven layers of touch, only shows off two
Ah, another possibly vaporous, yet intriguing addition to a long line of haptic patents and prototypes. Today's offering: a KDDI smartphone mockup (utilizing Kyocera display technology) promising to render sensation through multiple layers of applied touchscreen pressure. Imagine depressing a camera shutter on a touchscreen, and you've got the idea. KDDI only had a screen sporting two haptic layers on hand when they demoed the prototype at Wireless Japan this week, but Kyocera reportedly told Akihabara News that the technology is capable of up to seven layers of tantalizing touch. Neat. Maybe we'll get a few authentic haptic touchscreens on the market and do away with all the vibrational fakery we've been seeing.
Nokia licenses Immersion's VibeTonz haptic goodness
Immersion hopes we're creatures of mobile haptics, as the company has licensed its VibeTonz whole-mobile haptic engagement software platform to Nokia. VibeTonz, already licensed to Samsung and included in the SCH-W559 from Verizon Wireless (and many more Samsung handsets), slaps multi-stage vibrating haptics into mobile games, ringtones, menu systems and more. Immersion calls it a "multisensory experience," which we find to be an accurate description. With Nokia onboard, we would not be surprised to see the cellphone sales leader start touting VibeTonz as a "must have" feature in its newer handset models. After all, no retrofit is needed -- VibeTonz is basically software control over vibrating motors only (no extra hardware required).[via MobileTechNews]
Shocking DualShock case still not going Sony's way
Sony's attempt to overturn the 2004 ruling on Immersion's haptic technology patents and receive a new trial was denied in court recently.The Wall Street Journal tells quite a tale concerning another force-feedback inventor, originally a paid consultant of Immersion, who allegedly received advance royalties from Sony in exchange for testimony against his former client. There's enough drama in this case to fill a television soap opera--or, better yet, a police or crime-scene procedural.For the full contents of the article, you'll need to log in as a subscriber to the Journal through the picture above or the Read link below. We don't know to what extent this courtroom drama will affect the "boomerang" PS3 prototype controller design, future DualShock 2 availability and compatibility, or any possible delays to the new system itself, but Sony's separate appeal in federal court has yet to be ruled on, leaving the company one more crucial legal avenue to pursue in this matter.[Via Joystiq]
