In a video, Mark Zuckerberg is wearing a virtual reality headset to observe things in the past. Now, thanks to technologies being developed to bring touch to the metaverse, a new video shows the CEO of Facebook, now Meta lets people feel objects in virtual reality.
On Tuesday, Zuckerberg shared a video of himself using “haptic gloves”. It was to virtually roll dice, play Jenga and chess, shake hands, and fist-bump.
“Meta’s Reality Labs team is working on haptic gloves to create a realistic sense of touch in the metaverse,” he captioned the video. “One day you’ll be able to feel texture and pressure when you touch virtual objects.
“Started as a moonshot but it’s increasingly feasible”
According to a Meta news release published Tuesday, the gloves detect the wearer’s hands. It is to determine where the person’s hands are in a virtual reality scenario; if and how they may be in contact with a virtual object. The gloves then mimic the sense of objects in virtual reality by simulating pressure, texture, and vibration.
The company has been working on the gloves for seven years. Thereby, noting in the release that the project “started as a moonshot but it’s increasingly feasible as we continue to innovate and complete research.”
“Building these gloves is a challenge that requires inventing entirely new domains of scientific research,” the release says. “While we’re still in the early stages of this research, the goal is to one day pair the gloves with your VR headset for an immersive experience like playing in a concert or poker game in the metaverse, and eventually they’d work with your AR glasses.”
The haptic gloves are also demonstrated in a separate video released on Meta’s official Facebook page on Monday. In the video, a person virtual throws and catches a ball. Also, it plays games like Jenga and thumb war with another person in virtual reality. This shows how Meta lets people feel objects and will be more in the future.