Last week, I wrote a few posts about the immersive qualities of new gaming tech and how even games released a few years ago (Limbo) have become more engaging by launching on platform that allow for a different method of playing the game (in that case, touch-screen). In a gaming world where, V.R., motion sensor technology and voice recognition are becoming key features of any gaming experience, it’s worth wondering if one day we will be able to feel the experience of gaming. Will gameplay ever have a tactile response to our interactivity? Disney Research is hoping to provide the answer.
Aireal is the company’s new haptic device that claims to deliver ‘expressive tactile sensations in mid air’. The device enables the user to feel the virtual objects on the screen as they rush towards or collide with them. How? The Aireal, impressively, uses a vortex; a ring of air that can travel large distances whilst keeping its shape and speed. Upon contact with the user’s skin, the low pressure system inside the vortex collapses and imparts a force the user actually feels.
The vortex is pumped through 3D printed nozzles that are directed via motion sensors at the user. Imagine feeling the force of a bullet whizzing past you or returning a tennis ball across the court right from you living room?
The technology is still in the early stages of development and there are no plans for its release as yet, but it is part of what Disney Research say will be their ‘long-term vision for creating large-scale computer augmented environments which can deliver compelling interactive experiences seamlessly, everywhere and at anytime’. So Disneyland looks set for an overhaul! Possibly a mobile one – in your own house.
Child-like daydreams aside, just the idea of this kind of new sensory technology gives us an indication of what the future may hold for immersive gaming – one that may one day be a natural part of engaging with digital technology. In terms of Research and Gaming combined, it is clear that the Market Research industry must look at these emerging technologies as well as other existing new tech, (like the Oculus Rift which I’ve blogged about a few times already) in order to plan and execute research projects in the near future.