WeTac May Provide the Practical Haptic Feedback the Industry Desperately Needs - Hackster.io

Virtual world (VR), augmented world (AR), and mixed world (MR) are yet taking off, acknowledgment the proliferation of affordable, high-quality headsets. With products similar the Meta Quest 2 headset connected the marketplace astatine astir $400, VR exertion is present accessible to galore consumers. But VR headsets lone prosecute 2 sense: show and hearing. The manufacture has desperately sought retired haptic feedback exertion to stimulate the consciousness of interaction and City University of Hong Kong researchers developed a promising strategy called WeTac that whitethorn acceptable that need.

WeTac is haptic feedback exertion successful the signifier of thin, wearable patches that users tin deterioration connected their hands. The patches scope successful thickness from 0.22 to 1.00mm and are mostly transparent. They conform to the signifier of hands, portion stretching and flexing with the skin. That comes successful stark opposition to the bulky and cumbersome haptic feedback gloves that we’ve seen before. A operator portion worn connected the wrist provides powerfulness and BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) connectivity. It weighs conscionable 19.2g and measures 5cm quadrate and 2.1mm thick. Thin, flexible ribbon cables link the operator units to the manus patches.

The manus patches screen the palms and fingers. Each spot contains 32 electrotactile stimulation pixels, which are computer-controlled points susceptible of engaging the user’s consciousness of touch. By applying a tiny electrical current, each pixel generates a noticeable sensation. WeTac is configurable to set the spot of the electrotactile stimulation, truthful it tin suit the sensitivity of the idiosyncratic and supply varying degrees of unit proportional to actions successful the virtual world. Clapping successful VR would, for example, make beardown stimulation crossed each 32 pixels, portion touching a VR fastener with a fingertip would lone nutrient airy stimulation done a azygous pixel.

WeTac has evident entreaty for VR gaming and metaverse interaction, but it would besides beryllium utile successful industries similar robotics. A robotic manus equipped with unit sensors would beryllium capable to relay its consciousness of interaction to an relation done WeTac, which would alteration good manipulation that is different hard to achieve.

WeTac’s creators haven’t yet commercialized the technology, but that appears to beryllium astir inevitable. WeTac offers practicality that we haven’t seen from immoderate different wearable haptic exertion and the applications are endless, making the request precise high.