Sound gives feel to virtual objects

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Sound gives feel to virtual objects

Being able to properly "feel" virtual objects hanging in the air is the goal of Japanese researchers working to integrate a sense of touch into computers.

Being able to properly "feel" virtual objects hanging in the air is the goal of Japanese researchers working to integrate a sense of touch into computers.

Because sound is a pressure wave, when inaudible sound waves interfere they can create a focal point that is perceived as a solid object.

A team from the University of Tokyo has now demonstrated a simple haptic device that uses transducers which emit focussed ultrasound.

The prototype includes a camera that tracks the position of a user's hand and "attaches" the ultrasound to it. The result is a feeling of tracing the edge or surface of the virtual object.

So far, the system provides a small force only in the vertical dimension, but the team is improving the geometry of the array and the amount of power it can produce so that future devices will provide a stiffer feel and more contoured objects.

According to haptics researcher Stephen Brewster of the University of Glasgow, this system is "the first of its kind". He said it can be felt with both hands, rather than having just a single point of contact, and more than one person can use it at the same time.

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