From Gaming to Healthcare: Diverse Applications of Haptic Technology
Haptic technology is rapidly advancing in robotics and virtual gaming applications. In the latter case, lifelike tactile sensations are provided by haptic devices that sense the user’s physical movements and manipulations of the device. This, in turn, causes a coordinated robotic movement. One type of haptic technology is touch screen technology, which uses touch input detection to operate digital environments. For example, in a video game, the player can manipulate a robot’s endpoint to control where virtual objects are located and feel their effects.
Software that supports haptics and haptic devices can communicate with the nervous system by making physical contact with the body. They can also communicate with the body and receive information from it. Moreover, the haptic addressable market is expanding quickly; by the end of 2024, there will be 4.1 billion haptic-enabled consumer devices in use across wearables, personal electronics, and audio/visual. By 2028, 53% of consumer electronics will be haptic enabled.
Outlined below are the diverse applications of haptic technology:
Diverse Applications of Haptic Technology
- Gaming
- Touchscreen Devices
- Medical Stimulation
- Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
- Automotive Industry
Let’s discuss each one in detail.
1. Gaming
In the world of immersive gaming, players and game developers frequently ask the question, “What are haptics?” Haptic devices make gaming a multisensory experience, allowing users to see and feel the effects of their actions. This way, players get engaged in an environment enhanced by immersion. Haptics has improved gaming by providing tactile feedback that gives players realistic sensations so they can physically feel the effects of actions taken in-game.
Haptic feedback helps games become more interactive by allowing users to perceive slight sensations that improve their link with and reactions within the digital universe. It works to enhance gaming experiences by letting gamers view the virtual world, hear it, touch it, and feel it, thereby creating an intoxicating interplay of senses. For instance, Razer made history at CES 2024 by introducing Project Esther, the world’s first HD Haptics gaming cushion powered by its most recent invention, Razer Sensa HD Haptics. Bringing the audience into the game through streaming haptics: Razer is excited to present the world’s first MPEG haptics streaming experience at Mobile World Congress 2024 in collaboration with international wireless, video, and AI research and development company InterDigital.
Realistic haptic technology converts the digital world into lively landscapes where players can navigate variations in landscape shapes, weather patterns, or other objects found during playtime. Haptics is reshaping the gaming ecosystem and serving as an innovative technology displacing the conventional methods through which players engage with their virtual reality.
2. Touchscreen Devices
As haptics enable users to engage with their digital interfaces in a physical, reactive fashion, tactile sensations are crucial to touchscreen devices. Enhanced feedback is provided for every keystroke through haptics, which increases the touchscreen typing experience by making it feel like one is pressing an actual key, thus improving accuracy and response time. A more realistic and captivating touchscreen experience is produced by allowing users to feel realistic touch sensations, such as the feel of textures or the faint vibrations of buttons being pressed.
Moreover, the surge in demand for energy storage devices is due to the rising trend of using electronic devices like tablets, smartphones, smart watches, notepads, headphones, and earbuds. For example, as per the 2023 survey report, 5.5 billion people are expected to use mobile service subscriptions by 2030 compared to the 4 billion cellphone subscribers in 2023. Many advantages of this technology, such as improved touchscreen, audio, and visual effects in display touch applications, should accelerate the electronics industry’s adoption. The haptic technology market is expected to grow due to the growing digitalization trend in gaming apps and augmented reality-supporting devices.
Figure 1: Number of Mobile Subscribers, Global, in Billions, 2023 to 2030
Source: GSMA
3. Medical Stimulation
Haptics has emerged as a revolutionary tool in medical simulations that offers practitioners an almost real-world training environment. Its application in this field is increasingly becoming visible, thereby impacting how health practitioners acquire their skills. Such feedback enables trainees undertaking surgical courses to perfect their techniques by using haptics that replicate tactile sensations experienced during operations. With haptic feedback portraying feelings related to various clinical procedures, healthcare providers can enhance muscle memory and dexterity through participation in virtual training on procedures. Haptics enable physicians to rehearse check-ups and operations with a feel of reality, making it possible to imitate patient encounters.
Patients tend to have better results when tactile cues are added to the training process for medical practitioners; hence, they also hone their skills. Consequently, the merging of haptics into teaching health sciences will result in technically proficient healthcare professionals who possess a high degree of empathy, thereby improving patient management.
4. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
Haptics is essential to Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), enabling users to get lost in new and immersive experiences. For instance, this is evident when using VR gloves among other innovations, especially in gaming. Due to these technologies, one is made to feel as if they were there, distinguishing it from VR or AR, which do not have the same properties. With haptic feedback, digital users can experience distance between points in space, including shapes and textures, just like any other touching object.
In addition, haptic feedback improves storytelling techniques in VR or AR, giving human beings a better chance of knowing what is going on emotionally and physically. Relating to those stories, imagine the world acting as though someone was experiencing right there with all its details instead. Owing to newer advancements regarding this particular aspect within modern-day generic video game development, companies have started working towards enhancing online user experiences. This shift comes after realizing too much attention had been paid just to visuals, leading to forgetting about other factors that once mattered most when creating such so-called real environments.
5. Automotive Industry
The driving experience is being transformed in the automotive industry by the innovative technology of Haptics. Haptics is a game-changer in improving vehicle safety and interactivity because of its tactile feedback capabilities. Haptic feedback gives drivers tactile cues, making navigation safer and easier to understand. By providing tactile alerts to drivers about impending collisions, haptic technology improves response time and road safety. Infotainment systems with haptics integrated enable drivers to interact with touchscreens using tactile controls without taking their eyes off the road.
By producing lifelike driving simulations, haptic feedback helps engineers and designers evaluate vehicles’ ergonomics and user experience. Safety measures are advanced in the automotive industry by incorporating tactile feedback. This feature turns driving into a more engaging and natural experience, leading to increased demand for electric vehicles. For instance, in 2023, nearly 14 million new electric cars were registered worldwide, increasing the total number of electric vehicles on the road to 40 million. Car technology and haptics promise improved user control, safer roads, and a more pleasurable driving experience.
Figure 2: Percentage of Electric Cars Sold Globally, 2021 and 2022
Source: International Energy Agency
In conclusion, this flexible and fast-developing field of haptic technology has uses far more than just gaming. Haptics enables touch feedback in digital interactions, improving experiences in various industries like consumer electronics, robotics, healthcare, and education. The future will only see an increase in the potential for haptic feedback to revolutionize how we relate to the real and virtual worlds through technological advancement, bringing about new opportunities and means to improve our lives. In the future, human-machine interaction haptic technology will play a pivotal role either by increasing precision during surgeries, enhancing learning opportunities, or simplifying gadgets.
