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[E-Cat]

http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/...017-axonvr-brings-touch-and-temperature-to-vr

We use the term virtual reality to refer to headsets like the Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive: they make it look, and sound, like you’re in a virtual world. As much of an achievment as it is to fool our sight and hearing, we have other senses that we use to experience reality. The vast majority of VR systems completely ignore these senses, like touch, because they’re even more challenging to replicate: I mean, how the heck could you possibly create an arbitrary touch sensation instantly on demand? I have no idea. But AxonVR does.

I poke an apple and bring it over to drop it on my left hand. Immediately, I feel the familiar shape of an apple in my hand. It's round and smooth on every side, just like it looks. Neat.

Next, I select a nondescript cube and place it in my palm. I feel its slight weight. Then, it starts to change colors. First it’s red, and my hand feels warmer. Then it’s blue and my hand is cooler. The change in color and the change in sensation happens simultaneously. I wasn't expecting to feel a temperature gradient through this haptic VR system, and it’s a pleasant surprise.

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Lastly, I select a miniature deer, beige with a large rack of black antlers, that has been resting off to the side since I began the demo. I drop the deer into my hand and feel its hooves plant firmly in my palm. The deer fidgets and I feel its weight shift in my palm as it turns, and the stroke of a hoof when it starts to paw at my hand.

Then, the deer starts to lay down. Its legs fold up beneath it and its furry belly rests in the center of my palm. I can feel it breathe, and the spot on my hand where it’s resting starts to warm. The experience of holding a tiny deer in my hand and feeling its hooves is a neat trick, but the ability to actually feel it breathe and sense the warmth of its furry body brings on an entirely different dimension of emotion. It feels like my pet, and I want to keep it.

Saying that AxonVR has come up with a convincing simulation would be underselling what the HaptX experience is like. Other haptic systems we’ve tried require some (or occasionally lots of) imagination to transform a generalized touch sensation into something that matches what you’re seeing inside of your VR headset. With AxonVR, the touch sensation is presented with such precision and specificity that I’m tempted to say that imagination isn’t even necessary: or rather, I can’t imagine how anything short of a full-on Star Trek holodeck would be able to make a tiny deer that feels any more real than the one that napped on my palm last night. We’re as curious as you probably are about what, exactly, is inside that enormous box. Personally, I think it’s suspicious that the box is just large enough to contain an apple, an ice cube, a very large spider, a very small deer, and a dragon, because that would explain how it works as well as it does. AxonVR mentioned something about “an array of microfluidic actuators,” but we’ve been promised more details once things calm down a bit after CES.

More at the link.

The company has recently closed a $5.8 million round of seed funding. No, this is not coming to a Best Buy near you anytime soon. I pin haptics as a late-2020s technology at best. And even then, it won't be The Matrix--not withouth some crazy neural lace tech. And it may not even be AxonVR that brings it to market. Still, it's nice to see some progress being made.

Here's a longer, more in-depth article from last month if your interest got piqued:

http://www.geekwire.com/2016/25-yea...e-vr-experiences-indistinguishable-real-life/

 

[Skel1ingt0n]

Guaranteed it'll be the anime-waifu-sex-simulators that make or break the company.

 

[E-Cat]

Guaranteed it'll be the anime-waifu-sex-simulators that make or break the company.

Yes, porn drives the adoption of new tech. He should've tried putting his penis inside the box.

 

[forknknife]

The problem i always saw with this sort of system is that it may sure give you some realistic tactile feedback of texture, pressure, heat etc. but it will never be able to solve the "clipping" problem (your hand should not be able to cross through a physical object). The exoskeleton they are building seems like it would be able to solve that finally but... yeah, that's going to be crazy expensive!

 

[BrettHeazy]

this does sound pretty insane though, would love to try it out!

 

[E-Cat]

The problem i always saw with this sort of system is that it may sure give you some realistic tactile feedback of texture, pressure, heat etc. but it will never be able to solve the "clipping" problem (your hand should not be able to cross through a physical object). The exoskeleton they are building seems like it would be able to solve that finally but... yeah, that's going to be crazy expensive!

They mention force-feedback in the article.

 

[chrisPjelly]

But will we ever simulate wet surfaces?

 

[shira]

But did that Gamestop ceo call it a gamechanger

 

[E-Cat]

But will we ever simulate wet surfaces?

Only if the hentai waifu finds you kawaii.