Dutch-based tech company SenseGlove has announced the upcoming release of Nova 2, the second generation of its innovative haptic force-feedback glove and is claimed to be the first of its type with palm feedback.
Haptic gloves allow their wearers to interact realistically with virtual reality (VR) objects, to feel their size, stiffness, and resistance. Not only that, but they allow objects to be held, pushed, touched, connected and squeezed like the real thing.
Since 2021, Nova, the Nova 2’s predecessor, has allowed wearers to feel shapes and textures in virtual reality applications. The gloves’ vibrotactile feedback, functionality and compact wireless design proved popular with many VR users. With the Nova 2, SenseGlove has improved how wearers interact with the digital world.
The Nova 2 is claimed to provide increased realism in VR training, research, and multiplayer social interactions. Imagine shaking hands with a business colleague on the other side of the world and feeling them squeeze your hand. Or feel the slap of a high-five between friends. SenseGlove says you can experience that with the Nova 2.
It’s all thanks to the Nova 2’s Active Contact Feedback, which is designed to simulate a feeling in the wearer’s hand. Any object that comes in contact with the wearer’s palm is claimed to feel more realistic, whether it’s a piece of fruit, lab equipment, or the wheel of a car.
Active Contact Feedback comes in addition to force feedback, a feature of the Nova. Force feedback restricts movement of the fingers, making the wearer feel like they’re holding a real object. But that, too, has been improved. In the Nova 2, whatever object is being carried will not only restrict the fingers but will also be felt in the palm. The Nova 2 will "first and only wireless compact glove on the market" with this feature.
“Since the launch of SenseGlove, we have been gathering feedback about the desired features,” says SenseGlove CEO Frank Goovaerts. “One of the most requested features was the ability to feel feedback on the palm of the hand, just as one would in real life. With Nova 2.0, we have been able to incorporate this feature, all while maintaining the wireless and compact design of the gloves.”
Since SenseGlove’s launch in 2018, its VR haptic gloves have been used across various industries, such as manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, construction, energy and defence.
The SenseGlove Nova 2 will be available in late 2023 for US$5,999. If you can’t wait for the Nova 2’s release, you can always grab a pair of Nova gloves, which have been reduced from $4,999 to $3,999.
SenseGlove announces the release of the Nova 2 in the below video.
Source: SenseGlove
