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Touch virtual reality with WEART’s haptic gloves

Gants haptiques de WEART

To enhance immersive experiences, virtual reality pairs with other technologies like haptics. WEART has designed haptic gloves, which users wear to feel touch in virtual worlds. Their patented haptic technology tracks hand movements and reproduces pressure, texture and temperature. WEART is exhibiting at Laval Virtual on April 12-14, 2023 at booth B11. Interview with Brian Rahimi, Head of Marketing and Business Development Manager.

Can you present your company?

WEART is a haptic company established in 2019 by two Robotics Ph.D. graduates from the University of Siena. WEART developed unique wearable haptic gloves that let users feel the extended reality content like the real world. Audiences can experience any virtual object in virtual reality using WEART haptic devices and feel realistic haptic feedback made of three different components: forces, textures, and temperature changes.

The main product of the WEART is TouchDIVER. TouchDIVER is a wearable device that lets users feel tactile sensations in virtual reality content. It provides vibration feedback to the user’s hands so they can feel the tactile properties of every object and surface they encounter in the virtual world. This allows them to interact with objects as if they were touching them in real life. This technology has numerous applications, including VR training for safety procedures and medical scenarios, virtual prototyping, marketing immersive applications, sports training and simulations, and much more.

What will you exhibit at Laval Virtual 2023?

WEART will present TouchDIVER with multiple VR demos that bring the novelty of a completely immersive experience to the audience. In addition, the new version of TouchDIVER has improved in the case of finger tracking and better textures rendering.

Laval Virtual is celebrating its 25th edition this year. Do you have any memories to share since the first edition in 1999?

WEART participated in the 2022 edition as an exhibitor. It was the first event in which we presented our wearable solution, and it was precious for us. We performed hundreds of demos with content developers and stakeholders of various companies using VR/AR for training, virtual prototyping, and marketing. We collected precious feedback from the audience that helped us improve our product and reach our current performance and usability level.

We think Laval Virtual is the reference event for eXtended Reality in Europe. Our first participation was simply great regarding the connections we established in the community. After a few months, we started business collaborations and partnerships with the companies we met at Laval Virtual.

The world of immersive tech was shaken up by the rise of the Metaverse and virtual worlds. What is your opinion on these?

Recent advances in immersive technologies, such as virtual and augmented reality, have facilitated their application in various domains. Metaverse and virtual worlds exhibit significant potential in diverse fields, including entertainment, education, industrial and medical training, and business. In entertainment, virtual worlds have already been employed for gaming and simulations. At the same time, the Metaverse can elevate these experiences to a higher level through more sophisticated interactivity and social immersion.

In the field of education, these technologies have the potential to create engaging and interactive learning experiences, allowing students to explore a range of subjects more comprehensively. In the business world, virtual showrooms, meetings, and even stores can be created using these technologies to cater to a broader audience and offer distinctive and innovative experiences.

How do you see the VR world in 10 years?

The VR experience is anticipated to become more immersive and realistic in the coming years due to continuous improvements in hardware and software technology. This development is expected to attract more consumers to the VR market.

The potential applications of VR technology are numerous and varied. In the next decade, we can expect VR to be used in various fields, including healthcare, education, gaming, and entertainment. Immersive and interactive learning experiences are possible with VR, enabling students to engage more effectively with various subjects. In healthcare, VR can be utilized for diagnosis, treatment, and therapy, providing patients with more personalized and effective care.

As VR devices become more affordable and accessible to consumers, the market can expand to include industries that leverage the capabilities of VR technology. Examples of these markets include virtual tourism, aerospace, and more in advanced and highly realistic industrial training sessions, like in hazardous environments.

VR/AR devices will soon be the preferred platforms for our digital experiences. People will not see it as a luxury good or as devices only designed for tech adopters. In a better definition, VR will be normalized, and with development, the ethical considerations will be more harmonized with the ordinary living of humans.

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