Recently, during the IEEE World Haptics Conference, the worldwide telecoms giant Nokia highlighted its research and development in thermal haptics for virtual environments, working alongside haptic feedback leader WEART.
The research, namely, looks into haptic hardware to create a physical user feedback platform based on heat and touch, while also acting as a route to progress the evolution of thermal haptics, spatial haptics, enhanced interactivity, and codec improvements more broadly.
By leveraging WEART technology, Nokia is establishing its research into a haptic model that enables users to identify virtual materials through touch alone for tasks such as sorting visually identical objects.
Live at: IEEE World Haptics Conference
At the ongoing IEEE World Haptics Conference event, Nokia provides first-hand experiences to showcase its work towards the future of haptics, ready for event attendees.
Visitors to the showcase can wear an XR headset equipped with Weart’s TouchDIVER Pro haptic gloves. Then, they can experience thermal haptic cues in a virtual environment based on virtual assets, including hot and cold objects.
Nokia notes how this work is pushing the abilities of virtual and augmented reality experiences, as well as innovating volumetric video streaming and communication, therefore building towards “next-generation immersive interactions enhanced by haptic feedback.”
Nokia also noted how haptics standardisation is “crucial” to ensuring XR device interoperability, so that future immersive hardware can operate seamlessly when haptic technology becomes more deeply adopted.
More on WEART
The WEART TouchDIVER portfolio is well-known for its actuation point features, which provide force feedback, texture rendering, and thermal cues across the fingers and palm. These features create a realistic simulation of object sensations in augmented, virtual, and mixed-reality business applications.
The new WEART device, the TouchDIVER Pro haptic glove, features six actuation points, encompassing all five fingertips and the palm. The haptic feedback accurately replicates sensations like texture, weight, and even temperature, allowing the glove to generate thermal ranges between 15°C and 42°C.
With a compact, lightweight design weighing only 200 grams, the TouchDIVER Pro minimises friction between users and their XR environments, making it ideal for extended training sessions. Additionally, the TouchDIVER Pro package supports tethered and standalone operation, offering mentors flexibility in utilising the haptic device during training.
The TouchDIVER Pro is compatible with various headsets, including Meta Quest, Pico, HTC, and Windows Mixed Reality. It also supports XR experiences built on Unity and Unreal Engine SDKs.
The device has its own SDK, allowing users to develop a custom learning experience quickly. It includes a library of textures with 22 ready-to-use options, enabling businesses to replicate objects in virtual spaces. As virtual training continues to gain popularity, innovative methods of input and immersion will emerge, with companies like WEART leading the way toward fully immersive environments.
