The data-hungry mind of Mark Zuckerberg is about to bring us one step closer to the Matrix, albeit a depressing one, through a pair of brand new VR Haptic Gloves. According to the information, these gloves will allow the user to interact with digital objects giving a brand new dimension to Virtual Reality as we know it.
In an interview with WIRED, Michael Brash and Sean Keller from Meta Reality Labs revealed how they plan to change the world of VR by bringing the element of touch. Currently, the only way to interact with virtual objects is using physical controllers that come with Virtual Reality headsets. But they don’t offer a tactile feel of grabbing an object with your bare hands. Here’s how Facebook’s Meta Lab trying to change that.
In its purest form, VR is an illusion. The various controllers with which any VR headset ships help to maintain the said illusion. However, the deception of the virtual world falls flat on its pixelated face when you try to grab a digital object. For many, such an experience also feels disorienting.
With the help of VR haptic gloves, Mark Zukerberg wants you to feel the sensation of touch in a virtual world. These gloves will help you feel and lift digital objects taking the VR experience to a whole new level. The Facebook VR Haptic Gloves use a combination of soft actuators and an airflow system controller by the World’s first high-speed microfluidic processor.
These gloves are still nowhere near to replacing the “real” sensation of touch but Keller insists that users don’t require such a high level of sensitivity for an elevated VR experience.
With a combination of sight, sound and touch, we will soon be getting close to a low-pixelated version of the Matrix in the near future. And in case you don’t bother about living in a simulated world, just make sure to drink enough water with your red pill.