Teh One Who Knocks
09-02-2021, 01:15 PM
By Michael Moran, Audience Writer & Ciaran Daly - The Daily Star
https://i.imgur.com/XwX6PBm.jpg
Star Trek’s immersive "holodeck" could soon be stepping out of the realms of science fiction and into reality.
A team of engineers from the University of Glasgow has developed a new way to make 3D projections in the air feel "real" to the touch using a revolutionary new technique they call aerohaptics.
Precisely directed jets of air can create the illusion that the user is touching a virtual ball in a sports game, an animal in an interactive "zoo" or - predictably - a computer-rendered porn star.
Professor Ravinder Dahiya of the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering leads the Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) group, which developed the system.
https://i.imgur.com/UkLJ3Hx.jpg
Professor Dahiya says the new technique does away with a lot of bulky and expensive hardware (Image:
Photographic Unit University of Glasgow)
Professor Dahiya explained: "Haptic feedback and volumetric display technology has come a long way in recent years, bringing us closer to being able to convincingly interact with virtual objects.
"However, current haptic tech often still involves wearable or handheld peripherals, which add cost and complication and could be holding back widespread adoption of the technology.
"Aerohaptics creates a convincing sensation of physical interaction on users’ hands at a relatively low cost. We are already looking into adding additional functionality to the system, such as adding temperature control to their airflow to deepen the sensation of interacting with hot or cool objects.
"We believe aerohaptics could form the basis for many new applications in the future such as creating convincing, interactive 3D renderings of real people for teleconferences," he added.
"It could help teach surgeons to perform tricky procedures in virtual spaces during their training or even allow them to command robots to do the surgeries for real. We’re looking forward to exploring the possibilities as we continue to develop the system."
The system, developed by the University’s Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) research group, is based around a pseudo-holographic display that uses glass and mirrors to make a two-dimensional image appear to hover in space – a modern variation on the classic stage magician’s trick known as Pepper’s Ghost.
https://i.imgur.com/Hx9lZyI.jpg
The new tech could find its way into virtual meetings, games, and uses we can't even currently imagine
(Image: @glasgow.ac.uk)
https://i.imgur.com/tmzFdCF.jpg
The Holodeck was a fully 3D interactive environment… we'll get there one day!
It pairs a Leap Motion sensor to track users’ hand movements with a moveable air nozzle to direct airflow to their palms and fingertips.
In a demonstration, users could ‘feel’ the rounded shape of a CGI basketball as it rolls from their fingertips when they bounce it and the slap in their palm when it returns. Users can even ‘push’ the virtual ball with varying force and sense the resulting change in how a hard bounce or a soft bounce feels in their palm.
While the technique is still in its infancy, the BEST group’s work points the way to new ways of interacting with computer models and possibly an entirely new kind of entertainment altogether.
https://i.imgur.com/XwX6PBm.jpg
Star Trek’s immersive "holodeck" could soon be stepping out of the realms of science fiction and into reality.
A team of engineers from the University of Glasgow has developed a new way to make 3D projections in the air feel "real" to the touch using a revolutionary new technique they call aerohaptics.
Precisely directed jets of air can create the illusion that the user is touching a virtual ball in a sports game, an animal in an interactive "zoo" or - predictably - a computer-rendered porn star.
Professor Ravinder Dahiya of the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering leads the Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) group, which developed the system.
https://i.imgur.com/UkLJ3Hx.jpg
Professor Dahiya says the new technique does away with a lot of bulky and expensive hardware (Image:
Photographic Unit University of Glasgow)
Professor Dahiya explained: "Haptic feedback and volumetric display technology has come a long way in recent years, bringing us closer to being able to convincingly interact with virtual objects.
"However, current haptic tech often still involves wearable or handheld peripherals, which add cost and complication and could be holding back widespread adoption of the technology.
"Aerohaptics creates a convincing sensation of physical interaction on users’ hands at a relatively low cost. We are already looking into adding additional functionality to the system, such as adding temperature control to their airflow to deepen the sensation of interacting with hot or cool objects.
"We believe aerohaptics could form the basis for many new applications in the future such as creating convincing, interactive 3D renderings of real people for teleconferences," he added.
"It could help teach surgeons to perform tricky procedures in virtual spaces during their training or even allow them to command robots to do the surgeries for real. We’re looking forward to exploring the possibilities as we continue to develop the system."
The system, developed by the University’s Bendable Electronics and Sensing Technologies (BEST) research group, is based around a pseudo-holographic display that uses glass and mirrors to make a two-dimensional image appear to hover in space – a modern variation on the classic stage magician’s trick known as Pepper’s Ghost.
https://i.imgur.com/Hx9lZyI.jpg
The new tech could find its way into virtual meetings, games, and uses we can't even currently imagine
(Image: @glasgow.ac.uk)
https://i.imgur.com/tmzFdCF.jpg
The Holodeck was a fully 3D interactive environment… we'll get there one day!
It pairs a Leap Motion sensor to track users’ hand movements with a moveable air nozzle to direct airflow to their palms and fingertips.
In a demonstration, users could ‘feel’ the rounded shape of a CGI basketball as it rolls from their fingertips when they bounce it and the slap in their palm when it returns. Users can even ‘push’ the virtual ball with varying force and sense the resulting change in how a hard bounce or a soft bounce feels in their palm.
While the technique is still in its infancy, the BEST group’s work points the way to new ways of interacting with computer models and possibly an entirely new kind of entertainment altogether.