Gloves

Some folks prefer to get a grip on things to better understand concepts. Researchers have developed smart gloves for tactile learners that use haptic feedback and AI to teach users new skills, fast-track precision training and control robots remotely.

There are now a number of gloves that deliver tactile sensations to VR users' fingertips when they touch virtual objects. The Phantom glove is unique, however, in that it doesn't cover the fingers, leaving them free for real-world interactions.

SenseGlove has announced the upcoming release of Nova 2, the second generation of its innovative haptic force-feedback glove. The Nova 2 offers a more realistic VR experience and will be the first glove of its type to feature palm feedback.

While there are already haptic feedback VR gloves that provide a simulated sense of touch to users, they typically cost at least a few thousand dollars. The Pulse glove is aimed at making the tech more accessible, in that it's priced at just US$299.

It can be difficult for blind people to learn to read braille, as they don't have any way of seeing which character the dots that they're feeling represent. That's where the BrailleWear glove comes in, as it verbally tells them.

While technology is making strides in absorbing our eyes and ears in virtual worlds, it’s harder to engage senses like touch. Engineers have now developed WeTac, a thin, wearable electronic "skin" that provides tactile feedback to users in VR and AR.

Redmond-based HaptX is preparing for business in the metaverse age with the launch of a pair of "ground-breaking" haptic gloves that allow enterprise users to get to grips with objects in the virtual workplace.

Scientists have developed a glove for gripping underwater objects that takes its design cues from an octopus, featuring rubber suckers and a sophisticated sensing capability that mimic the sea creature's unique muscular and nervous systems.

It goes without saying that surgeons require a very delicate, precise touch. A new set of surgical training gloves were designed with that fact in mind, as they monitor their wearer's hand movements, and provide feedback on their technique.

Last month, social media giant Facebook rebranded as Meta and revealed its vision for the future of online interaction. Much of the news so far has focused on what users will see, but the company is also working on bringing touch to the Metaverse.

Donning VR headsets for training can bring some realism to a simulated training environment, but it would be better if you could feel objects you interact with in the virtual realm. That's precisely what the SenseGlove Nova gloves are designed to do.

Over the years, we've seen a number of experimental "smart" gloves that convert their deaf wearer's hand gestures into text. The aptly named Sign Language Translation Glove, however, is claimed to be the first mass-produced product to do so.