HEALTHVIRTUAL REALITYYou can touch this
With the VR revolution gathering pace, the ability to provide haptic feedback –
a sense of touch when you come into contact with objects in the virtual space –
has become something of a holy grail for developers. But now, Seattle-based
AxonVR thinks it’s cracked it.
Debuted in prototype form at CES in January, the AxonVR system involves
the user donning an ‘exosuit’ equipped with thermal and pneumatic microfluidic
actuators that apply pressure and temperature to the skin to replicate the feel of
virtual objects. The suit is made from a lightweight, flexible material that AxonVR
is calling HaptX, and that it claims can convincingly recreate sensations “ranging
from the brush of a butterfly’s wings to the impact of a punch... from the warmth
of a cup of coffee to the chill of a snowball.”
Sadly, though, there’s no word yet as to an actual release date. While consumer
products such as gaming systems are a long-term goal, it’s thought the technology
is likely to first find real-world applications in such areas as product prototyping,
rehabilitation for medical patients and military training simulators.Drowsiness detector
US companies Freer Labs and Changhong Research
Labs have joined forces to create a car headrest
that can read a driver’s brainwaves and alert them
if they’re in danger of falling asleep at the wheel.
The technology involved is described by
the companies as a “non-contact neuro-bio monitor.”
In essence, it’s an electroencephalogram (EEG),
but without the need to stick any sensors to your scalp.
The system is able to detect the user’s levels of
concentration on the task in hand – ie, driving –
and, if said levels start to dip, will provide an alert
via an as-yet-unspecified feedback mechanism,
perhaps sounding an alarm or shaking your seat
to jolt you back to full alertness.
Two unnamed car companies – one in the US,
one in the UK – are currently trialling the headrests,
but it’s likely to be a while before they’re built into
any vehicles available to the public.CARSWrist doctor
Could smartwatches tell you you’re about to get ill –
before you get any actual symptoms? That’s what
a team of researchers at Stanford University has been
investigating – and the answer, it appears, is ‘yes’.
The team used the sensors in an Intel Basis Peak
smartwatch to gather biometric data
from 40 volunteers over two years, and found that,
when we’re about to develop an infection,
our pulse rate and skin temperature tend to
be elevated up to three days before it sets in.
Intel has since discontinued the Basis Peak,
but the research suggests a more useful future
for wearables where users can be alerted
if they’re about to get ill.
PHOTO: GETTY^
30 June 2017| EVOLUTIONDISCOVERIES