Japan’s high-tech venture MIRAISENS unveils “touchable 3D imagery” technology
Creating New Digital Business of the “Bodily Sensation” by amazing 3D-Haptics Technology
Date: Sep 1, 2014
Source: MIRAISENS, Inc.
“MIRAISENS, Inc.” (Head Office: Tsukuba-city, Ibaraki prefecture, CEO: Natsuo KODA ) which is a AIST Technology Transfer Venture, has developed the world’s first “3D-Haptics Technology” which realizes real experience of tactile feeling and kinesthetic feeling by digital technology as if touching physical objects.
By utilizing our virtual reality technology, we can experience the presence of objects as if their entity existed there physically, just like experiencing presence feeling and reaction feeling of touching, grasping, pushing and pulling objet, even if in the virtual world.
MIRAISENS, Inc. is promoting the digital business of “Bodily Sensation ” at the front edge of divergence in the close-facing future, by applying our technology to various electronics, contents, services, etc..
In virtual reality, extremely high precise visual sense of presence can be obtained in the virtual world expressed in three dimensions.
On the other hand, the more precisely the visual sense of presence increases in the virtual world, the more seriously the dissatisfaction increases that is being unable to touch objects just like physically .
Moreover, since humans recognize the reality, solid feeling, and sense of distance by touching objects physically using their own body, it becomes huge stress not to be able to touch physically in the virtual world even though they can see the objects before their face.
“3D-Haptics Technology” can provide a high quality of “emotion” and “satisfaction” to the users, just only by installing a small device on their fingertip, since they can obtain the “touching experience” and ” manipulation feeling” with freehand style as if the entity of physical objects exist just there. By applying the technology of MIRAISENS, Inc., the realistic communication even in virtual reality can be realized truly and completely.
Three kind of feeling such as the pressure sensations (rapping, tapping, etc.)”, “the tactile sensations (grainy, rugged, etc.)” and “the kinesthetic force sensations” (tightly, snap, steadily, etc.).
The target application of 3D-Haptics Technology is infinite
If “3D-Haptics Technology” is built into a game controller, various reaction senses of force feedback can be given to gamers according to their action. By this reaction, “action and reaction tactics” become more realistic and attractive, which influence the pleasure of games significantly.
The output product of 3D printer requires complicated three-dimensional data. If “3D-Haptics Technology” is applied to 3D CAD system, it enables to make up the complicated data easily and intuitively with joy as if clay works with bare hands.
If applied to a robot, it enables to control a physical object remotely with the manipulation feeling as if manipulated directly by the own hands which realizes more advanced and delicate manipulation, even though the object is almost broken up at the moment which the robot’s arm holds fastly .
Similarly, tactile feeling and kinesthetic feeling can be added to medical simulators or robotic-assisted remote telesurgery systems, and additionally visually impaired person’s navigation systems are not a dream, either.
3D-Haptics Technology is:
“Haptics Technology” is the technology which digitally reproduces the feelings with which humans touch physical objects. That digital technology reproduces the “tactile sensation”, the feeling of touching physical objects, among the “five senses” which are the sensory functions that humans perceive and recognize the external world.
Many of the previous Haptics Technology remained in planar expression of haptics. In contrast, it is the original world’s first “3D-Haptics Technology” by AIST and MIRAISENS, Inc., which was expanded to 3D (3-Dimensional) space based on the “Illusionary Haptics Generation Technology” which is the patent technology invented by the Founder, Norio Nakamura.
Tactile feeling and kinesthetic feeling can be reproduced in the space with having nothing, just only by installing a small device on a fingertip. It is not necessary to set a device on a table, a wall, etc. just like the conventional fixing style. In the air, it is just a freely behavior style like a free hand, and it is possible to enjoy haptic experience.
With one device, we can concurrently experience three types of sensation, that is, “the pressure sensations (rapping, tapping, etc.)”, “the tactile sensations (grainy, rugged, etc.)” and “the kinesthetic force sensations” (tightly, snap, steadily, etc.) which are said to be indispensable for generation of tactile feeling and kinesthetic feeling of objects.
The structure of the device is also simple. Accordingly, downsizing and enhanced precision in the future are possible by adding industrial devices. Moreover, since it is small, it is easy to mount in various apparatus, such as game controllers, wearable devices, mobile terminals and toys.
For smooth launching of the content development with applying “3D-Haptics Technology”, a platform for content development <
Concerning “3D-Haptics Technology”, 18 patents have been globally applied (of which 10 patents are already registered) by the Founder, Norio Nakamura. The basic patents of 3D-Haptics Technology are also included. Moreover, these intellectual properties are also applicable in 1D and 2D.
MIRAISENS, Inc. is conducting the research and development activities in response to the Technology Transfer of these intellectual properties from National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.
