HaptX Inc., the leading provider of realistic haptic technology, today unveiled the HaptX Gloves Development Kit, an industrial-grade product for advanced simulation in virtual reality. HaptX Gloves empower professional VR users to develop simulations with realistic touch feedback and natural interaction for the first time. HaptX has been pivoting toward this moment since it was founded in 2012 by Jake Rubin and Dr. Bob Crockett with the ambition of being a full body motion platform, sort of free roam VR, but in place. The gloves are its first commercial product.
I met with the team thirteen months ago in Seattle and saw a prototype of the new gloves, which feature 130 tactile actuators that provide realistic touch across the hand and fingertips. HaptX Gloves are capable of delivering powerful force feedback. When combined with a VR headset, HaptX Gloves enables users to feel virtual objects with unprecedented realism. I’m told this is a massive improvement over the HaptX Glove prototype I tried last year.
“I work with the company, so I’ve tried HaptX Gloves many times,” said Director of Marketing Andrew Mitrak. “The fox feels like a fox. The rain feels like rain. The actuators across each hand physically press against the skin with no perceivable latency. This means that you feel all four of the fox legs individually press against your skin. You feel the legs move as you see the legs move. They press against different locations, matching what you see. The same goes for rain – each drop is physically simulated. You can even feel the difference between light rain and soft rain.”
Both Accenture and Bohemia Interactive Simulations are early users of the system and are anxious to bring the new system to clients for applications like training and design. “The HaptX Gloves Development Kit provides a new level of haptic fidelity and realism,” said Mary Hamilton, managing director of the Digital Experiences R&D group at Accenture Labs.
“Enterprise customers need far more precision and realism than today’s VR controllers can deliver,” said Joe Michaels, Chief Revenue Officer at HaptX. “Realistic touch is the missing link for many enterprise VR applications. HaptX Gloves are the first device to bridge this gap.”
“With HaptX Gloves, leading automotive and aerospace companies can touch and interact with their vehicles before they are built, radically reducing time and cost for design iterations,” said Jake Rubin, Founder and CEO of HaptX. “Industrial and government organizations can deploy virtual training solutions that build real muscle memory, providing a safe, cost-effective, and flexible alternative to live training.”
The HaptX Gloves Development Kit includes two gloves, each featuring 130 tactile actuators that provide realistic touch across the hand and fingertips. Built with HaptX’s patented microfluidic technology, The HaptX Gloves Development Kit makes its worldwide debut October 3, 2018, at the Future of Storytelling® Summit in New York City and the GeekWire Summit in Seattle. The company says the dev kit is priced for enterprise and industrial use and declined to name a price. Customers can inquire at haptx.com for pricing.
