One of the great problems with VR these days is trying to beat the suspension of disbelief problem. Making the objects perceived in the camera view actually look and feel real is a tough challenge, one that's sometimes addressed with haptic feedback devices. Dexta Robotics, meanwhile, has a noteworthy new concept to try in the Dexmo Exoskeleton glove system.
The Dexmo Exoskeleton effectively works as a simulator of touch by providing resistance to one's fingers according to what's being touched. A soft object will have more give, and a harder object will have much less, thus allowing for a reasonable approximation of whatever is in the virtual hand.
As exciting as that sounds, it's actually not that unique. The HTC Vive has offered a specialized series of controllers that provides a measure of physical interaction with the virtual world, and Oculus will be offering its own version later in the Oculus Touch. Even Dexmo goes back to 2014 and a Kickstarter project that raised $55,000 until it was ultimately canceled with a plan to bring it back later, at what its parent company called "...a better time." Given what's been going on in the VR market these days, this sure looks like a better time.
It's obvious that the market has changed substantially in the last couple of years, and VR's boom times look to be in the near future, or are even starting up already. That's good news for anyone developing in this field, be it software or hardware developers like Dexta Robotics. Better yet, there's a lot of room for development here as we're eager to have a more immersive VR experience. We want to taste and smell and feel these things we see and hear; seeing and hearing alone is all fine and well, but we want more, and those who can provide us with more are likely to get the wider portions of market share.
Dexmo is working hard to seize the "feel" part of the market, and it seems to have an advantage over its competitors. It won't be alone for long, however, and there are plenty of other fields to expand into to bring more immersive qualities into virtual reality. With the software making advances, and the hardware doing likewise, Dexmo will likely soon be one among many.
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