Head-mounted device is the cat’s whiskers
Ever wanted some cat’s whiskers or insect antennae? Probably not, but check out this head-mounted haptic device developed by researchers at the University of Tokyo in Japan. It lets a wearer “feel” their surroundings from a distance, roughly as if they had several long whiskers sticking out of the head. At least, that’s what the researchers say.
A series of infrared sensors positioned around the device act as invisible whisker or antenna sensors. When these detect an object, a small motor vibrates on the appropriate side of the wearer’s head to alert them.
We’ve written plenty about similar haptic devices, including head-mounted ones. For example, this report from the Siggraph2007 conference includes a couple of interesting hand-based haptic devices. This magazine article rounds-up several other research projects including a headband that converts video footage into signals felt by the user on their forehead.
I’ve never seen this type of haptic device being tested out, however. So it’s interesting to see this video of volunteers using the device after just a few minutes instruction. I was impressed by how instinctively people react to an incoming object while wearing the device. Another clip shows the same device being used to navigate a virtual maze. It must be a freaky feeling.