The University of Tokyo has developed a robotic hand capable of transmitting feeling back to its human controller, in effect taking cybersex virtual reality and remote scientific exploration to a whole new level.
Users wearing the glove will be able to sense the shape, temperature, and stiffness of objects. It’ll eventually be used to shop online and even shake people’s hands remotely.
With conventional systems, we can only perceive the stiffness of an object. But with Haptic Telexistence, we can also perceive the exact shape of an object, and more natural and dexterous object manipulations become possible. This simplifies complex tasks such as telesurgery and 3D modeling.
Because this system can present properties such as texture and temperature, it will support dramatic improvements in human life. For example, not only will we be able to shake hands with people at remote locations but we will also be able to feel the warmth of their hands. While shopping on the web, we will be able to check the texture of an article before purchase.
Finally, one step closer to never leaving the house ever again!
Haptic Telexistence [Siggraph.org] via The Raw Feed