WEART and FORUM8 Partnership:
Adding the sense of touch to digital twins and simulations
On April 15th-21st 2024, our distributing partner FORUM8 will join SUPERDESIGN SHOW within Milan Design Week 2024, the world’s largest design trade fair, at Tortona District. Under the theme “Different Design: Think FORUM8”, FORUM8 will introduce its design solutions and digital twin applications on the Cloud, Web3, and Metaverse, focusing on Metaverse “FORUM8 Virtual Platform System” and 3D Virtual Reality software “VR Design Studio UC-win/Road”. These platforms are currently being integrated to TouchDIVER’s SDK by FORUM8 to enable lifelike manipulation for rendering, digital twins, and VR simulations. In addition, FORUM8 will showcase its Web3 System / NFT Services “F8NFTS” and integrated 3DCG software “Shade3D” as well as various types of VR simulator, AR solutions, earthquake simulator, FEM analysis solutions, and many more design solutions the company has to offer.
The integration of TouchDIVER to FORUM8’s VR Design Studio UC-win/Road and F8VPS
FORUM8 team is currently working to integrate our TouchDIVER haptic glove into their simulation software platforms. The purpose is to extend the immersion experience within a Virtual Reality environment and the Metaverse by adding TouchDIVER’s comprehensive haptic feedback. The expected result is the ability to feel reaction forces when touching or picking a VR object, but also feel its texture and surface temperature.
More specifically, FORUM8 is integrating the TouchDIVER haptic glove to FORUM8’s VR Design Studio UC-win/Road – the 3 Dimensional Realtime VR Software Package which supports the consensus building in road and public construction projects as well as interior and space design projects – and F8VPS – FORUM8’s Virtual Platform System allowing the construction of any space as a Digital Twin and Metaverse with real-time communication – by developing an interface application based on our C++ SDK. The interface application will track the user’s fingers and generate touch feelings (force feedback, textures rendering, thermal cues), and will be able to communicate with VR Design Studio UC-win/Road through TCP socket or with F8VPS through WebSocket.
As part of this collaboration, we are supporting the distribution of VR Design Studio UC-win/Road within the Italian market. If you are interested in knowing more, contact us at this link.
More specifically, FORUM8 is integrating the TouchDIVER haptic glove to FORUM8’s VR Design Studio UC-win/Road – the 3 Dimensional Realtime VR Software Package which supports the consensus building in road and public construction projects as well as interior and space design projects – and F8VPS – FORUM8’s Virtual Platform System allowing the construction of any space as a Digital Twin and Metaverse with real-time communication – by developing an interface application based on our C++ SDK. The interface application will track the user’s fingers and generate touch feelings (force feedback, textures rendering, thermal cues), and will be able to communicate with VR Design Studio UC-win/Road through TCP socket or with F8VPS through WebSocket.
As part of this collaboration, we are supporting the distribution of VR Design Studio UC-win/Road within the Italian market. If you are interested in knowing more, contact us at this link.
The benefits of TouchDIVER’s haptic technology for rendering, digital twin, and VR simulations
In the dynamic world of virtual reality, the quest for immersion is non-stop. From lifelike simulations to training scenarios, every advancement pushes the boundaries of what is possible. TouchDIVER’s haptic feedback uniquely co-localizes force feedback, textures-based vibrations, and thermal cues on the same skin area, setting it apart from other skin indentation devices. Such haptic technology finds application in virtual prototyping and virtual simulations like VR training in industrial scenarios, where each haptic feedback contributes to enhance the realism of the experience.
The benefits of TouchDIVER’s haptic technology for rendering, digital twin, and VR simulations
Force Feedback to grasp VR objects
Force feedback is applied to the fingertip through a mechanical transmission actuated by a servomotor. The resulting feedback allows users to feel variations in virtual object stiffness and perceive the three-dimensional shape of surfaces, like simulating bumps on a wavy texture. This feature is particularly useful for lifelike manipulation of virtual objects during maintenance tasks, rendering, modeling, and training simulations, since it conveys spatial properties of objects (for instance, size and shape), leading to an increased precision of movements.
Vibrotactile Feedback for textures rendering
Also, the device employs vibrotactile feedback and piezoelectric haptic actuators to achieve precise and fast textures reproduction. To achieve this level of realism, the SDK includes an extensive tactile library with over 20 different materials, allowing developers to generate countless roughness variations using three parameters. TouchDIVER’s textures rendering supports engineers and designers to feel the material surfaces of virtual objects, such as metals, ceramics, fabrics, and natural elements.
Thermal feedback to simulate risky situations and identify materials
These sensations are matched with thermal feedback, which ranges from 15° to 42°C. TouchDIVER is the only VR glove on the market capable of replicating hot and cold sensations of virtual objects. The ability to simulate thermal flow through materials improves materials identification by recreating variations in thermal conductivity – for instance, how metal feels cooler than wood due to their distinct heat conduction properties. This capability is invaluable in contexts like firefight simulations or industrial use, where precise thermal feedback is crucial.
