Virtual and mixed reality experiences feel immersive because they take over your senses in various ways, but they still lack tactile feedback. Haptic gloves can change that, and you can make a pair yourself.
YouTuber PlayingAroundWithVR figured out a reasonably simple way to create haptic gloves that vibrate against any fingers that touch a digital object. While reasonably simple, you need some technical know-how and basic comfort with the Unity platform in order to put these together. As the video states, you also need the following parts:
- C.H.I.P. computer
- vibrating motors
- L293D dual H-bridge motor drivers
- thin, cotton gloves
- cell phone charger
- simple, small breadboard (like this one, which includes jumper wires)
- miscellaneous wires (like the ones you'll get with the breadboard linked above)
- 6V battery pack
The video will walk you through the assembly process for the gloves and how to write scripts in Unity to make the gloves work in various experiences. Because these gloves work in conjunction with the Leap Motion controller, you'll need that as well and should only build them if your VR/AR/MR headset works with it. That means you can't build these gloves for use with the Microsoft HoloLens right now, but most other headsets should work just fine.
While not the most beautiful or ideal solution, this DIY set of haptic gloves can offer a more immersive experience on a budget. If you decide to create a pair of your own, let us know how they work for you in the comments.
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Cover image by Visual Generation/Shutterstock
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