“Whether we like it or not, the metaverse is coming — and companies are trying to make it as realistic as possible. To that end, researchers from Carnegie Mellon University have developed haptics that mimic sensations around the mouth.”
“The Future Interfaces Group at CMU created a haptic device that attaches to a VR headset. This device contains a grid of ultrasonic transducers that produce frequencies too high for humans to hear. However, if those frequencies are focused enough, they can create pressure sensations on the skin.”
“The mouth was chosen as a test bed because of how sensitive the nerves are. The team of researchers created combinations of pressure sensations to simulate different motions. These combinations were added to a basic library of haptic commands for different motions across the mouth.”
“To demonstrate the haptic device as a proof of concept, the team tested it on a small group of volunteers. The volunteers strapped on VR goggles (along with the mouth haptics) and went through a series of virtual worlds such as a racing game and a haunted forest.”
“The volunteers were able to interact with various objects in the virtual worlds like feeling spiders go across their mouths or the water from a drinking fountain. Shen noted that some volunteers instinctively hit their faces as they felt the spider ‘crawling’ across their mouths.”