Halloween Edition of All Things Haptics

Fresh Insights and Game-Changing Advances in Haptics

Hi Haptics Enthusiast,

Welcome to the latest edition of All Things Haptics, your go-to source for everything happening in the haptics industry. As the leading newsletter in this space, we’re here to keep you on top of groundbreaking trends across Gaming, VR/XR, Automotive, and beyond.

This month, we’re turning up the thrills with a special spooky edition to send a few shivers down your spine. A haptics expert like you is no stranger to a little tingle, right?

Let’s dive right into this eerie edition of All Things Haptics.

Haunting New Developments in Haptics

👂👻 Echoes in the Dark - Just in time for Halloween, Google’s Adaptive Vibration uses your phone’s microphone to automatically adjust vibration intensity based on sound levels around you. Cool because it’s contextual but also... kind of all-knowingly spooky, right? (Android Police)

😴🤫 Anti-Snoring Device – AppYea’s AppySleep Wristband is an AI-driven wristband that detects snoring, and vibrates to prompt users to change sleeping positions. The wristband tackles an age-old horror of being woken by a snoring partner! (Forbes)

🤖🪐 Driving Moon Rovers from Earth with Haptics - Researchers at the University of Bristol created a teleoperation system to control moon rovers from Earth, overcoming eerie signal delays by using a haptic virtual simulation. A little interplanetary ghosting, if you will. (MSN)

📱✨ Claude ID’s Haptics - A new haptic setting offers tactile feedback during navigation, giving users that “feel” of interaction. No doubt adding to the allure (or eeriness) of digital spaces. (TestingCatalog)

🎮🖐 Sony’s Spooky Patent - Sony’s new haptic feedback hand strap would let developers feel controller vibrations without holding it. A hands-off experience? (Game Rant)

💥🕹 Fortnite-Themed Haptic Wearables - Woojer’s new Fortnite-inspired wearables let players feel in-game scares, complete with in-game items. (Gonintendo)

🚗👿 Hateful Haptics – Top Gear criticizes the haptic feedback of the Volkswagen Golf R's switchgear as "hateful," likening it to the unsettling sounds of a 2008 horror movie or a PS3 game. (TopGear)

🍏👻 All-Screen MacBook Phantom Keys? - According to a new patent, Apple is working on haptic feedback to mimic real keys. Is it the future...or something ghostly haunting your fingertips? (MyMobileIndia)

⚡🧲 Electroadhesion at Hanyang University - New tech to lower voltage requirements for haptic feedback could be a “shockingly” effective solution in the field. (Pubs ACS)

👻🫀 A Multi-Sensory Horror Experience for Deaf and Hard of Hearing - This experience in Greenock, Scotland, uses haptics to give chills without sound, making it an immersive Halloween must-try. (Greenock Telegraph)

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Haptics Gets Haunted

👻 Phantom Vibrations 🔪

Did you know 68% of people report feeling haunted by phantom phone vibrations? Phantom Vibration Syndrome is a psychological phenomenon where users feel ghostly vibrations. Could the craftsmanship behind haptics, from a smooth buzz to a rougher pulse, influence how people experience these phantom “hauntings”? Read the full study here if you’re brave enough.

🦇 Heart-Pounding, Bone-Chilling Feedback 🩸

Experiencing horror in VR is already terrifying, but add haptics...and it’s a whole new nightmare. Try these spine-tingling VR horror games:

• Resident Evil 7 VR (TechRadar Review)

• The Exorcist VR (UploadVR Review)

• Madison VR: (The VR Realm)

🫵 The Disembodied Hand Illusion ❤️‍🩹

The “rubber hand illusion” makes you feel like a fake hand is part of your body. Researchers use this eerie trick to understand how touch perception works, but for Halloween, it’s downright unsettling. Here’s a link to study.

🕷️ Haptics That Mimic Creepy Crawling Sensations🕸️

Research into wearables that can create the illusion of insects crawling on your skin or ghostly touches might make you shiver, but it’s all part of the thrill in haptics! Learn more about this study on Haptic Illusions here.

🤔 Haptics and Uncanny Valley 💀

The uncanny valley is real. Robots that are almost human can be unsettling and when paired with haptics the eeriness only deepens. Imagine shaking hands with a humanoid robot. It’s both fascinating and chilling. Learn more about it here.

🍬 Bringing Halloween Decor to Life with Haptics👻

Ready to add real chills to your Halloween setup? My company TITAN Haptics has a DIY project that brings an unsettling “alive” quality to your decorations. With advanced haptics tech, make a doll twitch or a robotic hand creepily move to give your visitors goosebumps. The full DIY guide is here.

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Before we wrap up this spooky edition, here’s a hair-raising thought. Engineers are exploring ways to use vibrations to power turbines. Imagine, one day, your phone’s buzz could contribute to renewable energy. Now that’s a Halloween twist we can get behind.

If you enjoyed this edition, consider sharing the thrills with your network or gifting a subscription. Got exciting updates for the haptics community? Connect with us on LinkedIn or X. Until next time, stay spooky and tuned, because in the world of haptics, the vibrations never stop.

Happy Halloween,

Ashley Huffman

aka The Queen of Spooky Haptics
Co-founder of Haptics Club Podcast
Strategic Partnerships at TITAN Haptics