It is nothing more than instinct in action. When you put on a virtual reality headset, your hands are the first thing you look for, and then you try to touch something… only to remember immediately that it is not there. Virtual reality will never be a complete experience unless a parallel system of tactile reproduction is developed that lets us feel objects that exist inside the digital environment. This brings us to the Spanish project Gloveone, which made its way through the crowdfunding jungle by offering its glove.
Skyrim may look great on the Oculus Rift, but if the user has to click with a mouse instead of feeling the shake caused by a sword clash in their hands and arms, let's say the experience falls short. There is no doubt about the potential of virtual reality for exploring, planning and designing; however, the user will want more, and within that 'more' we find touch. While nobody expects a bucket of water on their head or wind on their back when riding a virtual motorcycle, when picking up something as simple as a piece of fruit or a glass, it is logical that some kind of additional response exists. Headsets open a window to the virtual world, and the people at NeuroDigital Technologies believe they can do something similar with virtual touch.
Getting to Know Gloveone
The project is called Gloveone, and at first impression it looks like an ordinary glove, but once you learn its specifications, the story changes completely. With a total of ten actuators distributed across the palms and fingertips, the Gloveone glove can accurately translate an object's properties, including shape and weight. Its creators say that Gloveone pairs very well with the Leap Motion device (technically, using a virtual reality headset is not required), and both were even offered during its official Kickstarter campaign. It is also worth mentioning that the supported communication modes are USB and low-latency Bluetooth 4.0, a detail that opens up the possibility of using Gloveone with mobile devices.
Crowdfunding and Availability
As I mentioned earlier, Gloveone went through Kickstarter and obtained just over 150,000 dollars to begin its production and distribution phase. The first step is to fulfill the campaign orders, which will take place between December and February of the following year, and then we get to the general pre-order, which is aimed at the second quarter of 2016. The official price for Gloveone is 165 euros per glove.
