Dear Haptics Industry Insider,
Introducing a special edition of the All Things Haptics newsletter designed to catch you up on all things related to haptics from CES 2024. CES is renowned for spotlighting the most cutting-edge technologies globally, and this year was no exception. Haptics once again stole the show as a major highlight.
The LBX Collective's CES Summary succinctly captures the essence: “Everything has a motor in it, and it vibrates."
Imagine walking into this crazy world at CES where folks are trying out the coolest VR arcade games, chilling in these tactile seats, and even throwing on gloves to dive into virtual reality.
So in this edition, we're bringing you the lowdown on the latest gadgets and mind-blowing experiences that had everyone buzzing. Let's dig in together and get a sneak peek at where haptic tech is heading.
Launches & Annoucements
🥊 The Glove Are On - The company Microtube introduced their HEXR VR glove as the "first untethered pneumatic XR haptic glove." (Electronic 360 |YouTube)
🏎️ Feel The Race - RECARO & Sensit! introduce the Sport C Seat and Pro SIM Star with FeelTech+. The seat transmits the game's telemetry data to the body via vibrations. (Autoblog)
💻 Click Frenzy - MSI showed off a $5,000 laptop with an RGB trackpad. According to the press, "It's certainly a look, and it uses MacBook-like haptics to maintain a clicky feel when you press it." (The Verge)
👾 Handheld Vibes - MSI also had their Steam Deck rival called MSI Claw "leaked" ahead of CES. AKA, it launched in China, and someone in another country caught wind of it. The company website mentions "HD Haptics." (PC Tablet)
⌨️ Finger Tap Dancing - Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon G12 & X1 2-in-1 has a "huge redesign" with an accessibility focus that features a haptic touchpad by Sensel. Now try saying the product name 4 times fast. (NotebookCheck)
🤔 In The Will It Haptic Category? - Sony Reveals Unnamed Standalone MR Headset with 4K OLED Displays and unique handheld and ring controllers. Renowned in haptics, it's curious to ponder if it, too, will buzz. (Road to VR)
🛞 Really Pushes My Buttons - The new Volkswagen GTI featured integrated ChatGPT and a steering wheel equipped with physical buttons, replacing the criticized "awful haptics.” (AutoGuide)
❌ Rabbit R1 is Anti-Haptics - This little gizmo was abuzz during CES. However, the team chose violence against haptics in their marketing. For example: “Instead of immersive features like haptics, spatial sound, or vibrant visuals, the R1 simplifies tasks requiring us to tap and swipe on our smartphones.” (Mens Gear)
Buzzworthy Prototypes
💨 Eyes On The Road - Ultraleap, in partnership with CeresHolo, collaborated to turn a car’s windscreen into a heads-up display that can be controlled by gestures using midair haptics. (Architectural Digest)
💺Giggling Throne - Razer showed off a prototype haptic cushion as the "world's first HD haptic gaming cushion." Along with it is the new Sensa HD Haptics technology software. (CNET)
🚗 Touching Interface - Goertek showed off a headset using Snapdragon, along with a haptic-related demo of a smart haptic panel for car center consoles. (Linkedin)
🧤Get a Grip - Afference won the best CES 2024 Innovation Award among XR Technologies & Accessories with its Phantom haptic glove. The tech provides haptic feedback at finger-level granularity by interfacing directly with the nervous system. (Interesting Engineering)
Demos Making Waves
🎮 Grand Theft Auto into Real Life - Sony unveiled its new luxury sedan driven by a PS5 DualSense controller. (Dexter)
🤖 Feel the Game - bHaptics showed off their trifecta of haptic-enabled devices, including consumer-grade Tactsuit vest, Tactosy for arms, and TactGloves, made for developers. (XDA)
👇 Tickle Your Tech Fancy - Sensglove showed off its latest haptic glove release, Nova 2. They were touted as the "Top" VR gloves of 2024. (XR Today | X)
🍊 Freshly Squeezed - Haptx's small microfluidic pockets drew large lines at CES. One YouTuber said, "$35,000 VR gloves made me question reality." (Linkedin)
☀️ Tiny Tactile Timber - Ultrealap merged hand tracking, haptics, and VR to allow visitors to interact with an Ultreal Bonsai Tree, including sensations like warmth. (Forbes)
⚡Feel The Force - My team at TITAN Haptics proved that inside every executive and techie is a Jedi waiting to happen, as shown by HD haptic saber holder AtomBombBody at a secret CES event. (X)
👽 Rock Your Socks Off - Sony showed off a multi-sensory Ghostbusters experience, including a haptic-enabled floor. (GhostBustersNews | X)
Did you miss the end-of-the-year wrap-up?
Last year was a wild one for haptics. If you missed the summary of haptics trends and the products released at the year's end, check out the "Haptic Highlights: Unwrapping Trends and Sensory Surprises in Year-End Recap."
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That's it for this edition! Be sure to reach out and share your updates. The goal of this newsletter is to share the good word about haptics.