Haptic Shoes, Cars, VR Controllers and Fluidic Touch Tech
The latest edition of the All Things Haptics Newsletter
Hi Haptics Industry Insider,
In the fast-evolving landscape of haptic technology, staying on the cutting edge is crucial. That's where the All Things Haptics newsletter comes in.
Our mission is simple: to keep you informed, engaged, and excited about the tactile future unfolding before our fingertips. This month we cover some of the biggest product releases, leaks, patents, upcoming events, and a flurry of curated resources. Let’s jump right in!
Biggest News
The juicest announcements and launches you missed.
🦑 Squid Games Get Haptics - Sandbox VR built out a VR experience based on the infamous Netflix show Squid Games. The survival game comes paired with “extremely sensitive motion-tracking with haptics.” Sandbox broke $500k in tickets sold within a few days of launch. (Kotaku)
🏎️ Ferrari-level Haptics? A recent patent by Ferrari features vibrating seats in the conjecture category. According to the patent, drivers can feel seat feedback when they understeer or oversteer. (Hagerty)
🎮 Xbox Haptic Leak - A recent Xbox leak showcased a revamped controller and refreshed console. In terms of haptics, the leaked presentation shows “precision haptic feedback using VCA motors that double as speakers.” (GameSpot)
📱New iPhone 15 Haptics - Apple’s latest iPhone 15 was released this month. It features “faster Haptic Touch” as a replacement for 3D Touch. The new solid-state Action button is said to feel like a single firm tap. (The Verge | Forbes)
🥽 Quest for Epic Haptics - Meta’s least VR headset, called the Quest 3, was announced. According to Kent Bye, the controllers are lighter and have “awesome haptics.” (Tweet)
🛟 Haptics To The Rescue? - Onewheels (a one-wheel skateboard) owners in the USA are being warned they need to immediately update their app. The app has a new Haptic Buzz feature, which produces a tactile buzz and sound that act as a warning system for riders. (Spectrum News 1)
☂️ Sony's VR Prototype - Sony showed off a new prototype VR controller that uses haptics to help the user feel weight shifting. “When the umbrella was furled, I felt all the weight near my hand, and when unfurling it.” As the Mary Poppins of Haptics, I’m intrigued! (Upload VR)
💰 Afference Raises $1.5M - The company Afference raised $1.5 million in funding to develop its neural network interface called Phantom - a handheld wearable that wraps around a user’s finger and wrist. (Venture Beat)
🛞 Steering Wheel Drama - Two new Volkswagen models in Australia have scrapped the touch-sensitive steering wheel button, with the reason noted as customer backlash and media criticism. The same month, the new Golf GTI and Golf R will feature steering wheels with “touch-sensitive controls with haptic feedback.” (The Drive | Asia One)
👉🏽 Microsoft Touches on Inclusiveness - Microsoft unveiled the Surface Laptop Studio 2, which features a “precision haptic trackpad” called an Adaptive Touch designed “for people who can’t continuously use fingers to move a cursor around.” (Engadget | Yahoo)
👟 Nike’s Playstation Haptic Shoes? - The Nike PG2 PlayStation shoes are a collaboration with basketball player Paul George. The sneakers have “haptic response functionality” that will vibrate similarly to the “DualShock controller.” Big shoes to fill! (Nike | Trend Hunter)
Resources
So many resources and so little time …
♿ Promoting Accessibility Through Haptics - A look at how companies like Sony and researchers at Rice University are integrating accessibility into their work. (TITAN Haptics Blog)
💦 Could Wearable Fluidic Circuits Make Navigating Less Distracting? - An editorial based on a study from Rice University. (IEEE Spectrum)
🫵🏼 Fingertip’y Haptics - A thin, double-sided electrotactile device provides different haptic sensations to each fingertip. (Hackster)
🤗 Poked, Stabbed and Hugged in VRChat - VR Streamer GingasVR is always on the cutting edge of VR integrations and is currently testing the oWo haptic vest. Warning: pain is involved, along with salty language. (Tweet)
⌚ Fluid-Based Wearables - A fluidics-based system controls the delivery of touch-based cues like vibration, tapping, and squeezing for various navigational, medical, and other wearable uses. (Design News)
🚙 Putting the Toy in Toyota - Toyota is building a “kindergarten for robots” to teach the foundational skills needed to help people in the real world. (Free Think)
👩🏻🚀 Haptics in Space - NASA Pilot Rubio participated in a Surface Avatar session within the Columbus Laboratory Module, which explored the feasibility of using haptic controls of surface-bound robots across extended distances. (Sci-Tech Daily)
🦶 Happy Feet - A study called FeetThrough on an electrotactile foot interface that preserves real-world sensations. Made within the mad labs of the University of Chicago via Pedro Lopes and team. (Paper | YouTube)
🎻 Violin Haptics - An assistant professor at ASU incorporated haptic feedback into his violin, resulting in a musical experience that extends beyond the instrument itself, allowing him to feel the music throughout his body. (ASU)
🧠 Where Minds Meet Machines - An editorial on the study of next-generation medical robotic systems specific to haptics and robotics for various medical applications. (IEEE Spectrum)
🍑 Touch and Tease - Haptic lingerie called the Enigma has embedded haptic sensors. It uses AI to craft erotica based on the user's Touch. (Dezeen)
❤️ Adult Toys and Gaming (NSFW) - If you find that the game Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon lacks immersion, you can enhance your experience by utilizing open-source haptics software that can be synchronized with a range of adult toys during gameplay. (Kotaku)
🌈 Can You Feel The Rainbow? - In a recent press release by KOHLER, they curiously referred to their new sink color as “haptic orange.” (PR Newswire)
Events
🗓️ Haptics in VR - The Haptics Club is live with Denny Unger, CEO of Cloudhead Games, this Thursday, October 19, 2023, at noon EST. (Haptics Club Website)
🌊 Fluid Reality on Haptics Club - On Thursday, November 9, 2023 at noon EST. Join the Haptics Club crew live with the CEO and CTO of Fluid Reality. (Haptics Club Website)
📌 Haptics & Robotics - Haptics Club recently featured Aadeel Akhtar, PhD CEO and founder at PSYONIC. A genuinely inspiring discussion about haptics, startups, and staying scrappy! Catch it on your favorite podcast service. (Haptics Club Website)
🎙️ Haptic Gloves - Between Realities Podcast recently featured the CEO of Contact CI, Craig Douglass. (YouTube)
🎭 Wear the Groove - Lyric Opera of Chicago is introducing haptic shirts to performances for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. SoundShirt is made by Cute Circuit. (ABC)
📃 The Strangest VR Ideas from SIGGRAPH - A geeky writer's summary at Hackaday. (Hackaday)
And that wraps it up! I hope you enjoyed this edition of the All Things Haptics Newsletter. Your support is deeply appreciated as we collectively explore the exciting path toward a future enriched by haptic technology.
Have some haptics news, tips, and resources? Be sure to reach out on Linkedin or Twitter or even anonymously. Keep your eyes peeled for the following very spooky edition. In the meantime, stay warm!