After announcing in February a $4 million investment to help it enter the consumer virtual reality (VR) space, peripheral maker StrikerVR has now revealed a new partnership with Immersion, a specialist in haptic freedback technology.
The will aid StrikerVR’s step into consumer gaming peripherals, with Immersion’s HD haptic and kinesthetic technologies integrated into StrikerVR’s platform. Images like the ones above showcase what the designs could look like, offering a fully functioning gun accessory similar to the company’s location-based entertainment (LBE) products.
From the sound of it, StrikerVR is planning on creating several devices rather than just one gun with a statement noting haptics that simulate: “the power of a floor-shaking speaker; to the crack of a baseball bat; to the pull of a fishing line.”
“New advanced force feedback and high-definition vibrotactile haptic products launched in the market are inspiring the gaming industry to deliver new experiences with touch feedback technology. Gaming experiences today are defined by sight, sound and touch,” said John Griffin, VP of Products and Marketing at Immersion in a statement. “StrikerVR is thinking ahead and building a product that will excite users with its advanced features. We’re looking forward to working with them to expand the use of touch feedback on their platform and change how people experience haptics.”
“Haptics is an important part of making the gaming and VR experience as realistic as possible,” said Martin Holly, VP, and Founder of StrikerVR. “The more that we can do with the sense of touch and haptics, the better the experience. Touch brings it all together and creates a sense of presence. We’ve worked with haptics in our product for VR attractions, and we’re thrilled to be taking this next step with Immersion to bring even more interactivity and presence to new experiences for consumers.”
The collaboration between StrikerVR and Immersion is part of a multi-year license agreement, with the companies yet to confirm when these new devices might be appearing. When further details are made available, VRFocus will let you know.
SenseGlove revealed its latest haptic feedback gloves, the Nova, earlier this year, compacting its previous design into a more ergonomic solution. One client testing the latest device is the Royal Netherlands Army, with a new video showcasing how it is using the Nova gloves to train personnel for on-site equipment assemblies.
The army has been experimenting with virtual reality (VR) and various input methods for training purposes for several years now, looking for intuitive solutions to improve training methods. The Ministry of Defence Simulation Centre began testing the SenseGlove Nova in 2020 during prototyping, utilising its force-feedback haptics to create a natural response to assembling complex machinery.
“Using regular controllers in VR is an artificial way of interaction, nobody ever pushes the button with their fist. Usually, you push a button with your finger. Grabbing things, moving things needs to be as natural as possible,” says Captain Ewoud, Staff Officer Research and Development for the Royal Netherlands Army Simulation Centre in a statement.
SenseGlove Nova’s force-feedback system consists of four magnetic friction brakes attached to wires running down the thumb and three fingers. These brakes can supply a maximum of 20N of force allowing users to feel shapes, sizes and forms. Additionally, the gloves also feature voice coil actuators for vibrotactile haptics in the thumb and index finger.
“SenseGlove Nova is made with VR training purposes in mind and we are excited to prove this concept with this use case of assembling a satellite receiver. Any assembly training is based on haptic interactions: dealing with machinery and parts of all sizes and shapes, picking and positioning new parts and interacting with potentially dangerous equipment. That’s why we have created haptic gloves which are made for hands-on practice,” adds SenseGlove CEO, Gijs den Butter.
The training application seen in the video below was made in collaboration with VRee, helping build muscle memory before transferring it to the real world.
Designed for companies interested in VR training and research purposes, the SenseGlove Nova is available for pre-order now retailing for €4,499.00 EUR ex VAT. For further updates on the latest haptic glove solutions, keep reading VRFocus.
HaptX, the company building high-end haptic VR gloves for enterprises, launched its latest model, DK2, which is now available for purchase. The new version is said to have improved haptics, force-feedback, size, comfort, and manufacturability.
Previously, HaptX was only able to loan evaluation units of its gloves to interested parties, because the company was “severely limited in the number of units we could manufacture,” says CEO Jake Rubin. With the newly announced DK2 model, the company says it has streamlined the design which has enabled it to manufacture enough of the gloves to sell them outright.
“[Our manufacturing capacity was limited] due to a combination of the high complexity of our system, the number of novel components and production processes involved, and our limited manufacturing experience as a startup. Our manufacturing challenges were one of the primary catalysts behind our comprehensive partnership with Advanced Input Systems,” says Rubin “[…] we have been able to radically streamline manufacturing of the system. This has enabled us to finally satisfy the demand we’ve generated with our DK1 and earlier prototype systems by allowing customers to purchase DK2 outright and begin deploying HaptX technology at scale within their organizations.”
Part of that streamlining process also means slimming the system down. The Air Controller unit, which powers the pneumatic-based haptics in the gloves, once weighed 180 pounds. While the gloves are far from compact, with HaptX DK2 the company has reduced the system’s overall size enough to be able to mount the Air Controller on the user’s back. “We do expect that many, if not most, of our customers will use the system in room-scale [backpack] mode given the enhanced immersion and mobility,” Rubin says.
Image courtesy HaptX
Unfortunately the backpack unit doesn’t include the computer hardware necessary for the VR headset itself, so users will still need to be tethered to a PC or use a wireless solution.
Beyond the smaller Air Controller and improved manufacturing, Rubin says the DK2 has a handful of other improvements.
The force-feedback system can now apply up to 40 pounds of resistance per hand, and also has better stiffness and lower latency. The finger-tracking hardware in the gloves has also been massively shrunk down from two external boxes to a small board which is built directly into the gloves. Further, Rubin says, the gloves have improved fit and ergonomics, and are easier to put on and take off.
With these improvements, HaptX is now selling their gloves directly to enterprise customers. Though an official price hasn’t been announced, we understand the cost to be in the tens of thousands of dollars per unit.
That huge price tag puts the HaptX DK2 gloves in the high-end of the already expensive enterprise-focused VR sector, among the likes of Varjo’s enterprise headsets. While the company surely expects to further slim its gloves down in both size and price, if there’s buyers out there today we’d expect to find them in massive industries like military, medical, automotive, et al.
When VRFocus tested the HaptX Development Kit (DK1) gloves during CES 2020 they were some of the most tactile and responsive we’d come across. Today, the company has announced the launch of the HaptX Gloves DK2, the first commercial product the haptic specialist has released.
No longer a prototype shared with companies and shown at tech events, HaptX’s new gloves are thanks to several years working to reduce the size and weight, improving ergonomics, enabling room-scale VR support as well as a partnership with Advanced Input Systems to scale up production.
Where HaptX differs from its rivals – which use vibrating actuators – is in its microfluidic technology with each glove containing 133 tactile actuators which can gently press your skin up to 2 mm. The gloves also feature force feedback so they can apply up to 40 lbs. (35N per finger) of resistive force to make digital objects feel real. For comparison, SenseGlove Nova delivers up to 20N of force per finger.
“HaptX Gloves DK2 might be the closest thing to attaining real-life superpowers. It marks a leap forward in what’s possible with VR, XR, and robotics technologies,” said Jake Rubin, HaptX Founder and CEO. “Fortune 500 companies and governments around the world use HaptX Gloves to train their workforces. Automakers design and test new vehicles with them. Companies use them to control robots intuitively from a distance. The possibilities are virtually endless.”
As the HaptX Glove DK2 is primarily designed for commercial use, whether that’s for training purposes or for designers to touch and try out 3D models, precision tracking is highly important. So the gloves have a: “proprietary magnetic system which captures 30 degrees of freedom per hand with sub-millimetre precision,” HaptX notes.
“We’ve shared earlier versions of HaptX Gloves with thousands of companies and VR industry leaders and incorporated their feedback in designing DK2,” said Joe Michaels, Chief Revenue Officer of HaptX. “The COVID-19 pandemic has only increased demand for this technology. Remote work environments reveal the need for virtual training and design tools. Technology companies are increasing their investment in telerobotics. We’re proud to launch HaptX Gloves DK2 to meet this demand.”
The demand for responsive gloves for VR and other use cases continues to grow, especially as more companies invest in immersive tech. Some like HaptX, SenseGlove and Teslasuit are going for entire force feedback systems whilst Manus, BeBop Sensors and others offer a less complicated approach to hand tracking. For further updates from HaptX, keep reading VRFocus.
When it comes to data gloves with force-feedback haptics they tend to be big bulky, mechanical devices. This was very much the case with SenseGloves’ first product in 2018 with its striking blue mechanism. Today, for CES 2021, the company has unveiled a far more compact and user-friendly design, the SenseGlove Nova.
Designed primarily for virtual reality (VR) training use cases, the SenseGlove Nova moves away from the exoskeleton look of the original – which will still be available for VR research – with a mechanism inspired by human tendons. Force-feedback is applied by four magnetic friction brakes attached to wires running down the thumb and three fingers. Each of these brakes can deliver up to 20N of force allowing users to feel the form factor of digital objects. SenseGlove say this force is: “equivalent to the weight of a 2 kg brick on each finger.”
Adding to the sensory feedback, the Nova gloves also feature voice coil actuators for vibrotactile haptics in the thumb and index finger. These allow users to feel textures and other sensations, such as pressing a button on a dashboard or using a tool. Plus the SenseGlove Nova is now easier to put on as you don’t need to strap each individual finger in. Thus it should take a few second to don each one.
“Unlike research applications, VR training projects are all about quick implementation. Based on customer feedback, SenseGlove has created a new glove using stretchable, easy to put on material. The ability to experience digital worlds through intuitive real-world behaviours along with the price of $5,000 US make the SenseGlove Nova the most accessible device for the future of work and a new sense in VR training,” said Gijs den Butter, SenseGlove CEO in a statement.
Since the original SenseGlove was released the company has worked with over 100 institutions including Volkswagen, Airbus, Scania and Honda. “The next big step towards truly immersive VR training is to have haptic interactions. Therefore, Volkswagen collaborates with SenseGlove to make this vision of scalable haptic VR training a reality,” adds Malte Hedemann, Referent Digital Realities (VR /AR) at the Volkswagen Group.
SenseGlove is showcasing the working prototype during CES 2021 this week with plans to ship the first pairs of Nova gloves during March. For further updates keep reading VRFocus.
bHaptics, the South Korea-based startup making haptic accessories for VR, today opened pre-orders for two new versions of its TactSuit haptic vests.
Starting today, you can put your money down on two new models, the TactSuit X40 ($500) and TactSuit X16 ($300).
TactSuit X40 includes 40 Eccentric Rotating Mass (ERM) vibration motors dispersed across the front and back of the vest, boasting 18+ hours of playtime from its 9,800 mAh lithium-ion battery.
Its $300 little cousin, the TactSuit X16, reduces the number of ERM motors down to 16, and includes a smaller battery at 4,900 mAh rated for an overall playtime of 22+ hours, the company says. Both versions feature Bluetooth 4.0 and also an external audio port for non-supported games.
The TactSuit X16 is also shorter in length compared to X40, something bHaptics says was designed to not “bunch up when you sit down for PC games, etc.”
Presumably, bHaptics is eyeing the at-home user with X16 and straddling the out-of-home market with X40, as the X40 appears to replace much of the functionality of its enterprise-focused Tactot DK3 vest.
In all, bHaptics says their vests natively support 20+ SteamVR titles, including games such as Onward, Thrill of the Fight, and Sairento VR. By adding a bespoke mod file, you can also play games such as Half-Life: Alyx,Skyrim VR and Fallout 4 VR.
Native support for Quest games is also currently pretty limited, including Onward, Hyperdash, Thrill of the Fight, Death Horizon: Reloaded, Crisis VRigade, Apex Construct, Sairento VR, Operation Serpens, Let’s Go Chopping, MissionX: Lite, and Realms of Eternity.
To bridge the gap somewhat, the vests’ audio-based haptics mode also lets you plug in and play non-supported SteamVR and Quest platform games, as it takes basic audio objects like gunshots and translates them into a haptic rumble.
Pre-orders are said to start shipping December 10th, taking between an estimated 3-5 business days to arrive depending on your location.
Image courtesy bHaptics
We got a chance to try bHaptics early developer kit back at Gamescom 2017, and the basic hardware platform actually offers a pretty unique experience. The vest’s haptic motors can ‘dumbly’ buzz for a generalized rumble effect, but can also activate in specific locations on the front and back of the vest to simulate things like gunshots, punches, and sword slices.
Ok, so a buzzy punch isn’t really a perfect stand-in for any of those sorts of things, but it’s definitely a cool experience if you ever get a chance to try it. Still, at the time I didn’t find it a good enough value proposition as a consumer due to the overall lack of supported games—a chicken and the egg problem if there ever was one. And while attracting developers to include native support still remains an uphill battle for the company a few years later, it’s possible that may change now with the entrance of X16 at a more consumer-friendly price point.
Need to make your virtual reality (VR) gameplay experience even more immersive, then you’ll want to accessorize? Maybe an omni-directional treadmill for example or how about more haptic feedback? If it’s the latter then bHaptics’ TactSuit has been one of the more consumer-friendly ways to add body feedback. It’s almost time to make way for not one but two new models, with pre-orders for the TactSuit X Series going live today.
The original TactSuit is now going to make way for two variants, the entry-level TactSuit X16 priced at $299 USD and the TackSuit X40 at $499. Both designed to fit a wide variety of body types, from 25-50 inch chests, the biggest difference between the two is the haptic feedback. bHaptics is still using the ERM motors from the original model with the X16 featuring 16 of them (8 front/8 rear) while the X40 has 40 of them, supplying a more tactile response.
The new haptic vests also include further improvements over the original such as an audio port alongside Bluetooth connectivity and new straps at the side and on the shoulders for a better fit. Battery life has also been enhanced, up from 15 hours to 18 on the X40 and 22 hours for the X16. The TactSuit X40 weighs in at 1.7kg (3.7lbs) whilst the X16 is a little lighter at 0.95kg (1.2lbs).
The addition of the audio port helps to expand the TactSuit’s versatility as it enables more Audio-to-Haptics functionality. Via a wired connection this supports stereo (2ch) haptic feedback so even if a VR videogame isn’t natively supported (or simply for listening to music) you can add a basic haptic response.
Customers can then play around with the feedback through the bHaptics Player app which offers in-depth customisation options across the audio frequency range. They can edit preset themes or create entirely new ones to their liking. For those after plug and play functionality bHaptics’ software natively supports a bunch of titles such as Onward, Thrill of the Fightand Space Junkies with Phasmophobia, Pavlov and Ilysia coming soon. Plus, via mods, there’s Half-Life: Alyx, Arizona Sunshine, The Walking Dead: Saint & Sinnersand more.
bHaptics’ pre-orders for the TactSuit X40 & X16 are now live, running through until 9th December 2020. Pre-ordering will get customers a few additional extras – a mesh lining, audio cable and Y-jack. The orders will then begin shipping from 10th December. For further updates on the TactSuit, keep reading VRFocus.
(Update 02/23/21): Today, Sony announced an upcoming next-generation PSVR headset built specifically for PS5 that will include new controllers based on DualSense technology. As a result, we’ve republished this editorial from when the PS5 first launched late last year.
(Original 10/27/20): One of Sony’s most impressive innovations for the PlayStation 5 will likely be one of its least talked about features at first: the way the DualSense PS5 Controller feels in your hands. But I think this could be our first real look at what the future of haptics in VR could hold.
DualSense PS5 Controller
I’ve tried out all sorts of interaction methods for VR. I’ve used the wide range of consumer-facing VR controllers like Oculus Touch, PS Move, the PS Aim Controller, the Vive wands, the Windows Mixed Reality controllers, the new Vive Cosmos controllers, and of course the litany of one-handed mobile VR controllers. All of those pale in comparison to the Valve Index “knuckles” controllers though, in my experience, because the Index controllers are the best at making you forget there’s a controller in your hand.
VR is all about giving into an illusion, but it’s hard to fully commit mentally when a hunk of plastic is required to interface with the digital world. Hand-tracking is a neat solution, but we’re a ways off from that being very accurate and without gloves it’s missing a crucial component: haptics.
Sony’s DualSense PS5 Controller doesn’t’ do much in the way of eliminating the feeling of holding a controller, obviously, but it makes some serious leaps and bounds forward for haptics.
For as long as I can remember, perhaps since the Nintendo 64’s Rumble Pak, controller vibration has felt mostly the same. The Nintendo Switch has “HD Rumble” in the Joycons which try to be a little more precise, but those controllers are so tiny they’re inherently limited. The DualSense takes it to a whole other level.
It’s a two-fold solution for Sony with the PS5’s DualSense Controller: adaptive triggers and reactive rumble. The adaptive triggers change and adjust the amount of tension provided and pressure needed to interact with the game. The small slice of Astro’s Playroom I’m allowed to talk about right now does this wonderfully with a spring-loaded robot character that requires you to firmly press down the R2 button just past the point of full tension, then release it to launch him.
Just like VR and AR itself, it’s very difficult to describe the sensation in words, but it feels like a spring magically appeared inside the controller to resist me pushing down and then later, once I’m out of the robot, it vanishes.
This is important to note because not only was it incredibly impressive from a technical perspective, but also because of the variation. At other points in the game the tension is used differently for different actions and to varying degrees of intensity. There’s nuance to it, it’s not just a yes/no scenario for whether or not there’s tension.
In the video above at the embedded time (2:58) I talk a bit about this concept with some gameplay footage to help explain.
The other facet of the DualSense PS5 Controller I was most impressed with is in the way of its reactive rumble. What I mean by this is that depending on what you’re doing in the game or where you’re going, the controller feels different in your hands. It reminded me a bit of Ultra Haptics, a company that used air to precisely press against your hands and simulate touch. Instead of air, the DualSense Controller just lightly and very precisely vibrates in your palms.
For simple actions like punching an enemy or landing on the ground it’s a quick jolt that feels similar to what you’d see in any other game controller on the market, but when you have Astro walk across different surfaces that’s when it really shines. I could literally feel the difference between sand, metal, wood, and even glass just from the way the controller felt in my hands. It’s impossible to describe adequately, but let me just say that if I closed my eyes I could probably still identify the surface based on how it feels. The sound coming from the controller is extremely crisp as well with a great little speaker that’s far better than the speaker which no developers ever seemed to use on the DualShock 4 for PS4.
Implications for PSVR
Now you might be wondering what all of this has to do with VR. For starters, many made-for-PS5 VR games are likely to use the standard DualSense PS5 Controller. The reason for this is that it’s the lowest common denominator — everyone with a PS5 has one — and it’s a known device. So, analyzing what this controller can do is important. There is a gyroscope in there, you have to use it to aim and point around inside Astro’s Playroom in a 3DOF capacity. The PS Camera requires an adapter I don’t have yet and the new HD PS5 Camera is presumably not used for tracking at all, but I also can’t be sure because DualSense does have a light around the trackpad but I wasn’t sent a camera for review.
But the larger reason for this analysis is the fact that this exact same technology — adaptive triggers and precise, reactive rumble — is likely going to be used in the controllers for the next iteration of the PlayStation VR headset. The original PSVR uses an archaic PS3-era tracking technology based on colored lights and bulbs on the ends of wand-shaped controllers. It’s silly and often imprecise, but it got the job done for the most part given its age. Reportedly, Sony is working on something much more impressive for the next headset.
We have no idea what that actually is, but for what it’s worth, the technology in the DualSense could absolutely make new VR experiences even more immersive. If developers could tap into the power of the DualSense and let us feel things more accurately or squeeze and hold things more realistically, that could do wonders for immersion. I’m excited to see what developers are working on.
What do you think? Do you think DualSense could point towards an exciting future for PSVR on PS5? Let us know down in the comments below!
Even if you were separated from family and friends by time or distance, what would it mean if virtual reality could believably offer you a game of catch with them anyway?
The latest VR haptics research from Microsoft — called “PIVOT” — might see this dream realized more believably.
The wrist-strapped accessory put together by Microsoft researchers features a piece that swings into the wearer’s palm for a believable catching and throwing experience in VR.
Today, most VR developers create their own throwing and grasping mechanics, and these can feel different from world to world or controller to controller. The haptic feedback provided by consumer VR hardware today, meanwhile, might be described as little more than buzzing. Still, the effect can be pretty satisfying for certain applications, like pulling back a bowstring or the slight tap of ball against a table tennis paddle. Microsoft’s researchers seem to be proposing a completely different level of believability with PIVOT.
The new research presented as part of the 2020 ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) is detailed in a paper called “Haptic PIVOT: On-Demand Handhelds in VR” co-authored by Robert Kovacs, Eyal Ofek, Mar Gonzalez Franco, Alexa Fay Siu, Sebastian Marwecki, Christian Holz, and Mike Sinclair. According to a blog post about the work, PIVOT is attached near the wrist and “we’re able to render the momentum and drag of thrown and caught objects, which are governed by Newton’s laws, including simulating speeds of objects upon reaching the hand: The robotized haptic handle deploys when needed, approaching and finally reaching the hand, creating the feeling of first contact—going from a bare hand to one holding an object—thus mimicking our natural interaction with physical objects in a way that traditional handheld controllers can’t.”
Check out the apple-picking demonstration in the video:
The paper linked above closes with the suggestion that these “results support PIVOT’s potential for future use.” Future work might look at reducing weight of the wearable or adding more motorized pieces to better line up the ball mechanism with the hand. Other sensors could be added as well, like cameras for finger tracking, that might enable more precise interactions.
We’ve seen other research with objects that stretch or transform in shape — could that be applied here to offer different types of in-hand objects which swing into position at just the right time? The paper details other “exploratory” prototypes they’d considered, including a design that featured a retrofitted Windows Mixed Reality controller’s handle that could swing into your grip, and another design with a 3DoF joystick.
If you wore a future PIVOT-based haptic device on your arm, then, you might be able to put on your baseball glove and catch a ball, release it from your glove and then catch it with your other hand to throw it back to someone who isn’t actually in the same place as you.
