This wild haptic system can be utilized to construct automobiles
— October thirteenth, 2025
As digital actuality (VR) and combined actuality (MR) slowly develop in adoption, their shortcomings develop into extra apparent. Most manifestly, they solely have interaction customers’ sense of sight and listening to. Haptic tactile suggestions is sort of non-existent and so choosing up a “sword” in VR looks like choosing up a VR controller, as a result of that’s what you’re truly doing. Many options have been introduced for conditions like that, with restricted success. However bigger scale haptic suggestions has largely been ignored till now, with the presentation of a wild new modular haptic system that can be utilized to construct complete automobiles.
Mod2Hap is like an outsized LEGO set that VR and MR customers can assemble into quite a lot of completely different configurations that swimsuit the digital state of affairs they’re in. If, for instance, the person is taking part in a VR motorbike racing sim, they’ll assemble the Mod2Hap modules right into a vaguely motorcycle-like form, sit on that, and begin using. Later, when rowing a canoe down a digital river, they’ll reassemble the modules right into a seat with two oars.
The present Mod2Hap prototype has 4 kinds of module blocks: a rotary haptic block, a linear haptic block, an empty spacer block, and a bigger central body block. Every haptic block accommodates an Arduino Nano Each board and motors present rotary actuation, however there’s additionally a provision for torque coupling by way of magnetorheological fluid. Magnetic fields have an effect on the viscosity of that fluid, so Mod2Hap can alter resistance on-demand. Within the case of the linear block, the resistance is thru a piston. The resistance might, for example, make these digital oars tougher to maneuver when the person encounters a robust river present.
That is an uncommon prototype and Mod2Hap is unlikely to see any type of industrial launch, however it’s intriguing and we’ll want this sort of imaginative considering to progress the VR and MR trade.
