GET A GRIP!
TACTICAL HAPTICS LAUNCHES KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN FOR
REACTIVE GRIP™ HAPTIC GAME CONTROLLER
Reactive Grip™ touch feedback blows rumble away! It provides enhanced interaction and immersion for virtual reality and video games.
The emerging startup will work together with these enthusiasts to deliver a new level of realism and physical connection to games. Tactical Haptics plans to enable the Reactive Grip in a variety of game types to let players feel the impact of a sword, the tug of a fish in a fishing game, or the kick of a gun in their favorite shooter. Support will also be given to enable hobbyist projects such as tele-operating a battle-bot or feeling the physical interactions within a virtual sculpting or modeling application.
Backers world-wide can support the project at this shortened link address: http://kck.st/1grjEig
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tacticalhaptics/reactive-griptm-touch-feedback-for-vr-and-video-ga
Reactive Grip touch feedback works by mimicking the friction and shear forces that we feel in the real world when holding an object or touching a surface. This is accomplished by measuring the movements of the player’s hand and actuating small sliding plates in the grip of the controller to recreate the friction and shear forces you’d expect when holding an actual object such as a sword, slingshot, or fishing rod. It is called Reactive Grip feedback because the controller reacts to a player’s actions and motions in the virtual world.
The first Reactive Grip controller prototype was developed prior to the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2013, where it was demonstrated to the public for the first time – in many cases to folks that had just tried the Oculus Rift. Players trying the controller immediately asked when this kind of feedback would be integrated into their favorite shooter, flight simulator, or RPG. Reactive Grip could also be used to provide touch feedback in Augmented Reality, in tele-robotic interfaces, to guide the blind, for rehabilitation, or for other medical applications.
For additional assets, including high resolution images of the Reactive Grip game controllers, please visit: http://tacticalhaptics.com/pressImages/rGrip-kickstarter/
For more information on Reactive Grip, please visit: http://tacticalhaptics.com/media
Related Links:
Official Website: http://tacticalhaptics.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tacticalhaptics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tacticalhaptics
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TacticalHaptics/videos
About Tactical Haptics
Tactical Haptics was founded by Professor William Provancher in 2013. The objective of this company is to commercialize haptic feedback technologies, including several technologies developed in Dr. Provancher’s University of Utah Laboratory, the Haptics and Embedded Mechatronics Lab. The company’s initial focus is on commercializing the use of Reactive Grip touch feedback in the fields of virtual reality, augmented reality, and gaming. Reactive Grip touch feedback creates engaging physical interaction in virtual environments that significantly improves upon the realism of interactions compared to “rumble” vibration feedback. Future applications include navigation aids for the blind, minimally invasive surgery, and upper limb rehabilitation.
Media Contact:
William Provancher
E: press_at_tacticalhaptics.com