Researchers at South Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have designed a pair of haptic-enabled gloves which provide heat and vibration during use with XR technologies, Aju Business Daily reported on Monday, citing a university statement.
According to the report, the haptic gloves were 3D-printed with liquid metal and include precision sensors to monitor real-time hand and finger movements.
Haptic technologies are widely used across gaming and virtual reality (VR) controllers to communicate sensory feedback to offer added realism to immersive experiences.
The report cited a UNIST statement, which said its haptic feedback gloves would allow users to feel temperature differences when touching virtual wood, metal, and others.
Bae Joon-bum, UNIST Professor at the School of Mechanics and Advanced Materials Engineering (MAME) said in a statement,
“These VR gloves will become an innovative interface in VR and AR industries”
According to UNIST, the 3D-printed liquid metal gloves could be applied to video games, virtual training courses, and the entertainment industry.
Similar solutions in haptic feedback technologies have been revealed in recent months, namely after US startup HaptX received $12 million USD in Series A-1 funding for its Gloves DK2 solution.
Gloves DK2 are seen as one of the most realistic in the market for robotics and VR platforms, and the California-based company plans to add 5G-enabled wireless capabilities for immersive applications.
First responder XR firms such as Darley WS have also built training solutions with temperature-sensitive haptic feedback capabilities to train the next generation of firefighters globally.
