New VR System Lets You Feel Rain, Beating Heart

Researchers have developed a 360-degree virtual reality application using a unique chair to provide full body sensations that enables users to add customizable “feel effects” such as raindrops or a beating heart. Virtual reality has seen a renaissance in recent years as advancements in computer graphics, computing platforms and the seamless flow of information between hardware and software have come together in a powerful way. Researchers team is working to make VR haptic sensations just as rich as the 360 degree visual media now available. Current VR systems provide ‘buzz like’ haptic sensations through hand controllers. But technology exists for much richer sensations. Researchers have created a framework that would enable users to select form a wide range of meaningful sensations that can be adjusted to complement the visual scene and to play them through a variety of haptic feedback devices. The haptic playback and authoring plug-in developed by the researchers connects a VR game engine to a customized haptic device. It allows users to create, personalize and associate haptic feedback to the events triggered in the VR game engine. The haptic definition app, called VR360HD, was developed and tested using a consumer headset and Disney researcher’s haptic chair. The chair features a grid of six vibrotactile actuators in its back and two subwoofers or “shakers” in the seat and back. The grid produces localized moving sensations in the back, while the subwoofers shake two different regions of the body and can create a sensation of motion. Users were able to select from a library of feel effects tested by the team.