Haptic Device Uses Magnets For Better V.R.

Carnegie Mellon University geniuses are using magnets to simulate the feel of virtual-reality objects. Ralph Hollis, a research professor at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute, uses "magnetic levitation and a SINGLE MOVING PART" to simulate textures, "feel hard contacts and notice even slight changes in position while using an interface that responds rapidly to movements." A National Science Foundation grant has enabled them to improve the invention, first developed in 1997, build ten of them, and distribute six of the ten to haptics researchers in the U.S. and Canada.