Vortices are beautiful and mysterious, found at every imaginable scale—from soap bubbles to black holes. They’re so ubiquitous, in fact, that we tend to overlook them. But new research shows that studying the simplest vortices could glean surprising scientific insights.
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If you’re hoping to get some more tactile feedback out of augmented reality environments, the folks at Disney Research have devised the AIREAL system that could end up doing just that. The team is showing off the project at SIGGRAPH’s Emerging Technologies space, so we made sure to stop by for a look and feel. As quick refresher, the technology reacts to the user’s gestures by churning out a vortex of air to provide tactile feedback in real space — thanks to an almost entirely 3D printed enclosure and a smattering of actuators and depth senors. In the demo we saw, hovering our hand just over a display summoned a butterfly.
Once it landed, that small bit of air offered up the physical sensation that it was actually touching us. As we moved closer to a virtual open window, wings went a flutter and the whole sensation increased a bit. Sure, what we saw was a fairly simple use scenario, but there are aspirations for this to enhance gaming experiences and other augmented environments (likely within the confines of a Disney park, of course) with the addition of haptic feedback. Looking for a bit more info? Consult the video after the break for just that.
Gallery: Disney Research AIREAL hands-on
Filed under: Misc
Disney Research is at it again. The arm of Walt’s empire responsible for interactive house plants wants to add haptic feedback not to a seat cushion, but to thin air. Using a combination of 3D-printed components — thank the MakerBots for those — with five actuators and a gaggle of sensors, AIREAL pumps out tight vortices of air to simulate tactility in three dimensional space. The idea is to give touchless experiences like motion control a form of physical interaction, offering the end user a more natural response through, well, touch.
Like most of the lab’s experiments this has been in the works for awhile, and the chances of it being used outside of Disneyworld anytime soon are probably slim. AIREAL will be on display at SIGGRAPH in Anaheim from Sunday to Wednesday this week. Didn’t register? Check out the video after the break.
Via: Gizmodo (Australia)
Source: Disney Research
We’ve seen planes create a fiery vortex in the sky before, but here’s a more peaceful version of it happening in real time. It’s majestically beautiful. The wingtip vortices formed when an Airbus A340 landed at Zurich Airport on a foggy night. Though it looks gorgeous, vortices can be pretty dangerous. More »
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