Engineering: Feeling the internet

 

New research may allow online shoppers to feel online products before buying.

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Work being carried out by Queen’s University Belfast may point the way towards a more ‘hands on’ experience of the internet.
 
Currently limited to the dimensions of sound and vision, the Queen’s team, led by Professor Alan Marshall of School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, aim to add additional sense stimulation to the virtual experience, particularly touch.
 
The work, which is being carried out over the next three years, is based on ‘haptic technology’, that is the study of how people relate to the sensation of touch by the application of forces such as motion or vibration. Ultimately, this could lead to the creation of haptic objects and environments.
 
Working with partners including BT (UK), Immersion (USA) and HandshakeVR (Canada), the team aim to expand users’ experience by moving beyond existing stand alone haptic environments to networks that allow full interaction.

The second age of the internet

Speaking about the project, Professor Marshall said:  “If we are to enter the ‘second age’ of the internet, then it must be able to support multimodal communication, including additional senses. Queen’s University is a forerunner in the global race to introduce the necessary new architectures and networks capable of carrying such information.
 
“We are already leading a new project entitled ENABLED concerning the delivery of web content to blind and visually impaired and the potential applications made possible by the architectures coming out of this new study will be huge.
 
“Take the Nintendo Wii as an example. It has already revolutionised gaming without players having the ability to receive any touch-related feedback. Imagine what it would be like if we could select to play a virtual character based on Roger Federer and feel every impact of his serve, in real time.”

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