Initially programmed to be used in medical training within the gym, the glove is made up of air pressure pads next to the fingers to simulate touch. Additionally, there is a pneumatic mechanism that uses compressed air to make the gloves more flexible.
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With the potential to gain market share and be used for purposes other than academic, the researchers guarantee that the reaction to the touch of the glove is instantaneous. Something close to 20 milliseconds, which can be used in real time.
The member of research team, Yeo Joo Chuan, says that “one thing that many gloves on the market lack is touch, as users cannot feel what an object is like in the digital world. This is the focus of our research, providing an immersive experience in the virtual world.”
Another aspect that impresses in the researchers' presentation is the comfort of the glove. According to them, the weight of the tool is 250 grams, and the glove allows even the rigidity of objects in virtual reality to be felt. Other gloves presented on the market weigh 450 grams.
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For the leader of the research team, Professor Lim Chwee Teck, the idea of developing the gloves came after a bad experience with the metaverse:
“My experience with VR and the metaverse has always been unsatisfactory. VR shouldn't just be a visual and auditory experience; must feature the ability to interact with VR objects. However, current methods of pressing a virtual panel or interacting with another avatar lack the sense of touch we experience in the real world. This led me to work with my team to develop a haptic glove to enable ‘physical’ touch in the virtual world,” she commented.
The team's objective now, after presenting the product, is to take it to the market and make it accessible to as many people as possible, as those currently being sold have prices ranging between US$5 and US$20.
It is worth remembering that Meta is developing its own haptic gloves as well, however, only the prototype was presented and it is not known when the product will reach the global market.
