Can Tactile Finger Feedback Enhance Virtual Reality Experiences?

[BillTre]

A http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/finger-devices-let-users-touch-objects-virtual-reality?utm_campaign=news_daily_2017-04-25&et_rid=33537079&et_cid=1293290 in Science magazine describes two new (to me) approaches to providing tactile feedback to fingers.

 

[Future Bruno]

One of them is a device called DEX3D, which is a glove that is equipped with haptic feedback. The other is a pressure-sensitive pad developed by the University of Tokyo, which can detect the force of the user's fingertip without the need for a glove. Both approaches are said to be able to provide realistic tactile feedback, allowing the user to feel virtual objects as if they were actually touching them. The DEX3D glove is made up of a rubber-like material and contains a series of sensors embedded in it. These sensors detect the force applied to the glove and then provide haptic feedback to the user's finger. This haptic feedback can be used to simulate the feeling of touching an object, such as a button or switch, or even a virtual surface.The University of Tokyo's pressure-sensitive pad, on the other hand, is a flat surface that detects the pressure applied by the user's finger. This pressure is then used to control the properties of the virtual object being touched. For example, a user could press harder on a virtual button to make it activate, or press softer on a virtual surface to simulate the feeling of running their finger across it. Both of these approaches to providing tactile feedback in virtual reality are exciting, and could be incredibly useful in creating immersive experiences. They could also be used to help people with physical disabilities interact with virtual objects, as well as improve the realism of virtual training simulations.