Disney has kept a close eye on the virtual reality industry. It seems haptic feedback hardware is one of the ventures this firm aims to explore. More specifically, the Force Jacket provides VR feedback involving snowballs and slithering snakes. It is not necessarily the experience most people are looking for, yet still a positive development.
The Force Jacket is a Nice Addition
Haptic feedback is a powerful trend in the world of virtual reality. It provides a sense of real-world feedback to users who immersive themselves in a virtual world. Getting this concept just right is not easy by any means. Making immersive experience more powerful is something Disney Research is actively exploring right now.
Know as the Force Jacket, it aims to provide haptic feedback to virtual reality enthusiasts. Although only a prototype exists, it is a pretty interesting development. Turning a life jacket into a haptic feedback garment requires some trickery. It comes with embedded airbags, which can inflate, vibrate, and deflate when needed. This is done as a way to emulate the sense of touch.
As one would expect, the Force Jacket requires software to properly provide such an experience. The concept of a touch one feels on their body by entering a virtual world certainly sparks the imagination. However, the big question is whether or not Disney Research intends on bringing this product to market in the future.
All of this shows companies should focus more attention on haptic garments for virtual reality. So far there aren’t too many ventures focusing on this aspect. Even so, Disney is showing the rest of the world it can be done with enough research and development. For now, we have to wait and see how far Disney Research can take this concept.
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