A Californian social virtual connection company has started a Kickstarter campaign for its Emerge Wave-1, a device that connects to a VR headset and projects ultrasonic waves to allow users to feel virtual objects.
Enabling users to physically feel what they see with their bare hands, the mid-air force field reaches up to 3ft above the device and 120-degrees around it.
The tactile experience is created by the Emerge Wave-1 device projecting mid-air tactile points which are programmed into volumetric tactile effects. When these tactile effects are combines with virtual objects, environments, and avatars, a tactile experience is created.
Measuring 10.25” x 11.75” x 1.875” (about the size of a 13” laptop) and weighing 2.6kg, the device is designed to sit on a tabletop where the user can put their hands over the top of while wearing the VR headset.
Designed to be used with the Meta Quest 2 (formerly Oculus), the Wave-1 device pairs with the Emerge Home Quest 2 app where users can invite up to seven people to their virtual gathering space and share tactile greetings, such as a hi-five or handshake, or play tactile games. Controllers are not needed; users will feel the sensations through their own hands which are tracked through the Meta Quest 2’s hand-tracking sensors.
Emerge began its venture in 2016 with a prototype that could only emit one tactile point. After six years of researching different technologies, it has reached the Emerge Wave-1 full virtual tactile experience.
“Emerge represents what we hope could be a next paradigm shift in human interaction,” said Sly Lee, co-CEO and co-founder of Emerge. “Emerge Home’s goal is to take people beyond the screen and allow them to connect emotionally in a natural way, no matter the distance between them.”
The Kickstarter campaign launched in February with a deadline of 9 April 2022. If it reaches its goal, the company plans to start its early shipping that month with standard shipping beginning in September 2022. The product is currently only available in the US and Canada but are hoping to eventually launch globally.