Hasta La Gadget!

The technical magicians at Disney Research are at it once more. This time, they’re working on a technology which allows users to feel sensations without actually having to touch a surface.

AIREAL is a combination of hardware and software which can create tiny air vortexes in 3D space. It was developed by researchers Rajinder Sodhi, Ivan Poupyrev, Matthew Glisson, and Ali Israr. A set of these small haptic-feedback devices can be used in combination with gesture-based control devices to let users feel sensations and virtual textures while interacting with their computers and video game systems. This is truly some science fiction stuff made real.

Check out some examples of AIREAL in action in the clip below:

Pretty amazing concept, no? Wouldn’t it be cool to combine this with a head-mounted display like the Oculus Rift? The wind could blow in your hair as you run through a virtual world, or you could feel bullets whizzing by when you’re being shot at. Crazy stuff. Or it might just turn up in a next generation of Disney’s Haunted Mansion – where you can actually feel the ghosts surrounding you. Hopefully the Disney Research guys talk to the Imagineers.

You can read the entire research paper on AIREAL here. [PDF]

In spite of the company’s claims that feedback has always been localized on gaming controllers, this certainly isn’t the first time we’ve seen the phenomenon incorporated into a wearable. That said, the ARAIG (that’s As Real As It Gets, for the record) does wrap a lot of features into a nice looking package — well, about as nice as one can expect from a vibrating shirt that you wear while gaming. The ARAIG (sounds a bit like “ear ache”) features 16 points of feedback on the front, 16 on the back and eight on each side, a number of which are located in areas so as to offer the most muscle stimulation as they respond to what’s happening in the game.

You’ll also find a six speakers around the collar, offering a sort of surround sound to the wearer, as well as an admittedly somewhat clunky subwoofer on the back. Of course, ARAIG is still in its early stages, a few days into its Kickstarter campaign, so there may well be some changes to the suit in the months to come. In the meantime, the company’s hoping for a lofty $900,000 in crowdfunding. You can check out a video plea below or click the source link to contribute.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Wearables

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Source: Kickstarter

The crew in Espoo have just added a new patent to the arsenal that promises to add a refined level of haptic feedback to the user experience. Fundamental to Nokia’s plan is a matrix of independent haptic devices that remain stationary, but combine to simulate the sensation of linear and circular movement. Not only could the enhanced feedback bring a new level of interaction to the software interface, but Nokia also hypothesizes that the system will be useful for providing navigational route guidance — say, without the need for visual or auditory feedback. Given the company’s other research in the field of haptic systems, it seems Nokia’s future may be full of good vibrations, indeed.

Filed under: Cellphones

Nokia patents haptic system to simulate linear motion, assist with navigational route guidance originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Aug 2012 21:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Most digital Braille devices are built on the assumption that the legally blind already know how to write in the format — if they don’t, they’re often forced back to the analog world to learn. PDT and Perkins hope to address that longstanding technology gap with the Perkins Smart Brailler. Going digital lets Perkins build in lessons for newcomers as well as provide immediate audio feedback (visual for writers with borderline vision) and text-to-speech conversion to give even an old hand a boost. Logically, the leap into the modern world also allows transferring documents over USB along with traditional Braille printouts. Smart Braillers will cost a weighty $1,995 each when they first ship in September, but it’s hard to put a price tag on mastering communication and fully joining the digital generation.

Continue reading Perkins Smart Brailler helps the blind learn to type, closes the digital divide

Filed under: Peripherals

Perkins Smart Brailler helps the blind learn to type, closes the digital divide originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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