A rather large Arsenal of technical means to simulate haptic sensations in virtual reality have added to the original innovation. Technology called “Wireality” is the development of a team of researchers from the University Carnegie Mellon (USA). They decided to use the weight of your own body of a human and a system of ropes with tension control to give users new possibilities in VR.
System Wireality mounted on the shoulders of the operator, his body becomes a support for the system from dozens of thin filaments. They stretch from the shoulders to the hands, mounted on each finger, palm and wrist. Cables have separate tensioning mechanisms, managed by a common controller, which, in turn, works in conjunction with the VR headset.
When the user moves freely in Parliament, tension on the wires there. But when it rests on the obstacle and begins to touch it or tries to interact with a virtual object, the system is activated. It is seen as a the inability or the difficulty to “push” with the finger the surface of the virtual object, since the mechanism of the tension counteracts the force of the finger. This feeling is different at each point of contact between hand and object, which gives rise to the illusion of this feeling, solid and durable object.
The developers say they learned to create imitation even of complex reliefs, Wireality the user will be able to touch to study the structure of the models, or mechanisms. At the same time, the area of operation is limited to the space directly in front of you system of ropes does not allow you to perform acrobatic stunts. The weight of the prototype is 273 grams, but directly on the hands is just 11 grams, so they are not tired. About the price and timing of the sale is too early, but the cost of the prototype was about $50, which indicates a potential low cost and availability of such devices.
Source — Carnegie Mellon University