Impacto: VR Gaming Haptic Feedback Simulating Device

Impacto is a device designed to render the haptic sensation of hitting and being hit in virtual reality. Developed by Prof. Patrick Baudisch’s lab of Human Computer Interaction at Hasso Plattner Institute, Germany. The wireless design enables users to move-free in the virtual world.

The key idea that allows the small, compact and light impacto device to simulate a strong hit is that it decomposes the stimulus: it renders the tactile aspect of being hit by tapping the skin using a solenoid; it adds impulse to the hit by thrusting the user’s arm backwards using electrical muscle stimulation.

The device’s haptic feedback sensation is produced by combining tactile stimulation with electrical muscle stimulation, that is a bit similar to sports injury therapy’s electrical muscle relaxant device. The team has made made 3 sports demo including boxing, soccer and baseball using Impacto, Oculus Rift and Kinect for tracking .

Contact: Pedro Lopes (plopes.org) / plopesresearch@gmail.com / pedro.lopes@hpi.de