Could “Force Illusions” Help Wearables Catch On?
“Amemiya discovered that when the vibration occurred asymmetrically at a frequency of 10 hertz… a distinctive pulling sensation emerged in the direction of the acceleration,” reports MIT Technology Review.
The Buru-Navi3 (pictured on right), which is about the size of a wine cork, creates a force illusion when it is pinched between the thumb and forefinger.
The Traxion works in the same way, generating an asymmetrical vibration when it is held between the fingers. Both the Traxion and the Buru-Navi3 have been able to help a blindfolded user navigate a path. However, the force illusion is much weaker when the device is only touching the skin, as it would be in a wearable device.
See the full story here: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/528886/could-force-illusions-help-wearables-catch-on/