Haptic feedback technology is becoming increasingly prominent as an area of development as a virtual reality (VR) market matures and customers start to seek new ways of making VR experiences even more immersive.
Nina spoke to Stuart Burmeister, Software Engineer for Bhaptics about how the company is trying to meet the requirements of the market.
Bhaptics is a company that specialises in haptic feedback technology specifically for VR applications that helps users e more connected with the virtual world. The company has existed for roughly three years and is based in South Korea.
Commenting on the company’s mission, Burmeister said: “We’re looking into making VR more immersive by adding haptic feedback and adding a new level to gaming.”
Asked about how the Bhptics system differed from other haptic suits on the market, Burmeister replied: “Our main focus is comfort, so you can easily and quickly put the suit on, we don’t want you to have to fiddle around with straps, it should be on and then off. It should also be easy to wash, not too heavy or bulky and easy to wear.”
Going into further detail about how the suit worked, Burmeister said: “There are 40 motors in total, twenty on the front and twenty on the back, and they function in an array. So each of these motors will vibrate. So, we send a signal using Bluetooth and it will tell the right motor to activate and at what strength.”
When it comes to develops integrating the technology into videogames or apps, Burmeister said: “We use our own software to make it easy for people to access and send this information without worrying about which specific motor needs to be activated.”
Going further into the technology, Burmeister commented on the different components of the Bhaptics system: “We have the vest which is the core part, because of lot of games use the body, but we also have the sleeves, which do things such as deliver impacts from guns, we also have for the hands so you can punch when playing sports games, we even have something for the face, so if you get hit in the head, you can feel the impact from that as well.”
The full interview is available to view below. For further coverage on Bhaptics and other VR-related technologies, keep checking back with VRFocus.