Haptic Racing Sims, Cutting-Edge Cameras, Strategic Partnerships, and Investments
The latest edition of All Things Haptics Newsletter
Dear Haptics Industry Insider,
Welcome to the November round-up of the All Things Haptics Newsletter. While the weather is getting cold, the haptics industry continues to heat up.
In this edition, we'll highlight groundbreaking research in virtual reality and robotics, where haptic feedback makes digital experiences more immersive and intuitive. We'll also introduce you to innovative companies pushing the boundaries of touch-based technology and share insights from industry leaders shaping this field's future.
From buzzworthy games to launching touch-enabled wearables, this edition is your go-to source for All Things Haptics. Let's dive right in!
Latest News and Releases
💍 Haptic Smart Ring - This smart ring claims to be the lightest ever — and the first with haptic navigation. (The Next Web)
📛 Humane Haptics - The latest shiny hot gadget, Humane AI pin, features haptics. But will it beam me up? (Inverse)
💸Boreas Receives Funding - Piezoelectric driver IC developer Boreas Technologies Inc. has raised US$12 million in Series B funding. (EE News Europe)
📷 Shutter at this Haptic Feedback - The 1.2 update for the Blackmagic phone's camera introduces enhanced haptic feedback for control dials, providing users with "greater precision." (CINED)
🏁 E-Sim Racing Collaboration - D-BOX partnered with Playseat, a leader in racing and flying simulation cockpits. As an autocross racer facing a cold Canadian winter, I can't wait to see what they spin up. (Yahoo)
🏎️ Electric Chair meets Motorsport - OWO announced its collaboration with 'The Crew Motorfest' for a haptic shirt. Note: the company positions their shirt as "feel every stab and punch," so my title feels like fair game. Zing! (Trend Hunter)
💨 Cho Choo Choose You - Steam, the digital distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation, is “finally embracing” Sony's DualSense game controllers. (Hot Hardware)
🛞 BCS and Ultra Team Up - BCS Automotive Interface Solutions and UltraSense Systems have teamed up to make automotive touch interfaces for steering wheels. (Yahoo)
🎮 Game Rumbleee - Ubisoft has revealed some of the features that PS5 players can expect when their game Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora launches in December, including "over 400 unique haptic feedback effects." (Game Spot)
📱 Academic-grade Mobile Haptics - The new Xiaomi 14 Pro is the first smartphone to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and a haptic feedback engine developed in collaboration with Tsinghua University. (Times of India)
🚗 Hyundai Puts the Breaks on Haptics - The New 2024 Hyundai Tucson has ditched touch-sensitive haptic controls for more traditional temperature dials and switches. (AutoExpress)
🚘⚡Nissan EV Bets on Haptics - In other news, the new Nissan ARIYA will feature integrated haptic touch controls with a “simulated touch-back as a haptic response.” (Fox 13 Now)
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Resources
🧠 Virtual Reality and Brain Injury Survivors - A study and program by the Government of Australia on the role of virtual reality in helping brain injury survivors regain use of their arms and hands. (Government of Australia)
♒︎ Enhancing Mid-Air Haptics in VR - A study by Digital Nature Group, University of Tsukuba called "ExudedVestibule: Enhancing Mid-air Haptics through Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation." (Digital Nature)
👉 Machine Fingers with Human Touch? - A peer-reviewed paper by Chinese scientists that “created machine fingers that touch and feel like human hands, capable of identifying 20 different commercial textiles with a 100 percent accuracy." (SCMP)
💘 Pain and Pleasure - The area of haptics for consumers continues to be explored as a method for pain and pleasure in gaming experiences. As seen recently by VR influencer Gingasvr wearing VR vests/shirts. (Twitter / X)
Events
📍 Haptics Club #49 this Thursday (11/30) features Manuel Cruz - Manuel is now the President of the Haptics Industry Forum and Chief Scientist at Innovobot Labs and, in his past life, spent 22 years doing research at Immersion Corporation. (The Haptics Club)
📅 Smart Haptics - This December 5-6, 2023, Smart Haptics will be in San Diego, CA. The event is one of the few haptics-dedicated industry events. (Smart Haptics Website)
♣ Haptics Club Interviews Haptics OG Ivan Poupyrev - Ivan spills the tea, shares his favorite projects, and discusses cutting-edge interactive technologies. The live recording is available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcast (TITAN Haptics Blog / The Haptics Club)
Patents
🍏Smart Headband Haptics - Apple was granted a patent around wearable electronic devices, including directional haptic output and spatial audio. (Patently Apple)
📸 Photo Sensitive - Canon filed a patent for developing a vibrating camera to initiate a “tactile sensation” relating to hand position. (Canon Rumors)
💵 Meta vs Immersion - Meta's quest to move its VR-headset haptics suit failed at the Federal Circuit. (Bloomberg - paywall)
🔵 Haptic Morse Code for Gaming - Electronics Arts was granted a patent for "systems and methods for transcribing user interface elements of a game application into haptic feedback." (Justia Patent)
That's it for now! Thanks so much for taking the time to read this month's wrap-up. Feel free to forward this free edition to other folks in your network. One of the goals of this newsletter is to get more people informed and excited about where the haptics industry is headed.
If you have news or resources, contact All Things Haptics founder Ashley Huffman on Twitter or Linkedin, or anonymously here.
Keep cozy, and stay tuned for the next edition!