Incorporating touch into mainstream VR may no longer be elusive

Virtual Reality (VR) is about to explode with business use cases. Advancements in 5G rollout, robotics and headsets, means it won’t be long before we are exclusively designing, collaborating and testing projects remotely in VR.

VR offers an immersive experience of sights and sounds, but until now the sense of touch has been elusive to all but a few high-end systems. I caught up with the Senmag Robotics team last week who aims to bring the sense of touch within VR to the masses with a project called Mantis.

What is Mantis?

Mantis is a scalable system architecture that makes haptic devices available to all virtual reality, augmented reality and simulation designers. Haptic feedback adds the sense of touch to electronic devices. It creates accurate, multiform and accessible force feedback systems. 

Haptic feedback adds the sense of touch to electronic devices.

What problem does this solve?

Robotic arm devices are used across the world for a variety of practices; designing, manufacturing, handling sensitive or unstable compounds, performing surgery to name a few. Currently, robotic arm devices, whilst plentiful, are heavy, expensive and have an extended learning curve for users. Mantis is the first system of its kind that enables light, affordable and accessible haptic force feedback.

Currently, robotic arm devices, whilst plentiful, are heavy, expensive and have an extended learning curve for users.

We learn and operate using all five senses, but electronic devices communicate with us using predominantly just two: sight and hearing. Haptic feedback allows you to touch a computer or device, and allowing that computer to touch you back. This is delivered by what’s known as a force feedback. Adding this additional ‘sense’ increases the accuracy and efficiency of carrying out tasks using robotics.

Haptic feedback allows you to touch a computer or device, and allowing that computer to touch you back.

What can we build and do with Mantis?

“Mantis enables people to touch and feel 3D objects, adding more depth to the VR experience,” according to their lead researcher Dr Anne Roudaut, from Bristol’s Department of Computer Science.

“Mantis enables people to touch and feel 3D objects, adding more depth to the VR experience,” Dr Anne Roudaut

Imagine a user playing a game in Virtual Reality with Mantis attached to their fingers. They could then touch and feel virtual objects, thus immersing themselves both visually and physically in an alternative dimension.

What’s next?

“We will be giving out the plans to allow anyone to build a Mantis,” Says PhD student Gareth Barnaby. “Because we are keen to make force feedback devices more widespread and not confined to research labs, we are also looking to produce some easy to build kits as well as pre-built versions that we will make available on the website.”

“We will be giving out the plans to allow anyone to build a Mantis,” Gareth Barnaby.

Senmag Robotics hopes to start production and testing of the first Mantis kits ready for release by the end of the year.

Video explainer below

Richard Foster-Fletcher is CEO and Founder of NeuralPath.io, a strategic AI consulting practice. Formally with Oracle Corporation, Richard runs the MKAI Meetup (Milton Keynes Artificial Intelligence) and is the host of the Boundless Podcast.

On LinkedIn, Richard interviews leading researchers and executives in the disciplines of futurism, AI and business strategy.