4 ms·
When interacting with a real (solid) object, you only ever interact with its surface. When you touch a ball, you feel its surface. If you press into the surface
by marcusverus 4y ago
When interacting with a real (solid) object, you only ever interact with its surface. When you touch a ball, you feel its surface. If you press into the surface, you feel that resistance as increased pressure (near-instantaneously) and you gain a lot of information about he object by that sensation (consider the difference between poking a balloon vs. an anvil) and by the reaction of the object. With sonic "virtual objects", there would be no resistance, meaning you couldn't really interact with the object in a normal sense (your hand would just pass into/through it). Even if the "user" were to understand this, it seems like the range of experience would be very limited. Without any sensations associated with resistance, could you make a balloon feel any different than an anvil?
I've spent some time thinking about this in the past, so please forgive the random tangent: IMO, the creation of virtual objects that can be interacted with and perceived as real objects will require a combination of haptic garments and exoskeletons. The haptic garments would manage any minor sensations (the fuzzy texture of a kiwi), while the exoskeleton would apply force / prevent motion. That way, if you try to poke a virtual balloon, you feel a minute jolt of resistance at the moment of contact. If you poke an anvil, you feel your finger come to a dead stop, with all of that force on your fingertip conveying the sensation of poking a heavy, stationary object.
It seems like a suit could simulate a lot of object interactions. Imagine hefting a virtual stone in your hand. You feel its texture on the palm of your hand via the haptic glove, while the exo-suit conveys the weight as downward force, applied at the wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints.
- pokeymcsnatch 4y agoThe virtual object could be relative to the person interacting with it rather than a stationary zone in space. With sound waves, for example, it could be something like a tightly focused beam combined with motion/finger/hand tracking... As your hand moves along the "object", the beam is constantly re-aimed (at the hand) and re-adjusted in real time to give you the sensation of feeling around the profile. No suit required.
- upupandup 4y agoCreating tactile focal points in a specific 3D coordinate seems possible if we use the transducers described in this video. You can see that they are able to "place" tactility in specific 3D location. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QkbVr4J7CM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QkbVr4J7CM All that would be needed here would be an AR solution that projects an opaque hologram of a 3D object in the same location where tactility is being placed in mid air. What stops us from increasing the power of the transducers as to magnify the torque, pressure? Like parent's comment: anvil vs basketball. What is a safe and realistic range of pressure for anvil? Could such virtual object injure the user if dropped?
- upupandup 4y agoI agree a suit is the more immediately realizable tech but something that isn't so clunky like what Mr. Zuckerburg uses here. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oQig6L2BtOo https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oQig6L2BtOo There must be a way to provide torque and tension electronically in a suit. Millions of small points all over.
- ge96 4y agoLocalized linear pcb motors that push/pull on threads built into the suit
- tomcam 4y agoI wonder if an alternate, not-as-good-but-acceptable set of conventions would arise. The best weighted MIDI keyboard doesn’t have the responsiveness of a good grand piano, but great music can still be made with them. Same with electric vs acoustic violins.