Researchers at the University of Utah have developed an advanced video game controller capable of providing the player with directional cues that is accomplished by stretching and pulling the thumb tips in various directions to simulate actions including recoiling of a gun, tugging a fishing line and feeling waves. The game controller was showcased at the 2012 IEEE Haptics Symposium.
The University of Utah's latest prototype of a new kind of video game controller features typical thumb joysticks (white) but also has a round, red "tactor" in the center of each joystick to tug gently at the thumb tips. That kind of touch feedback is more advanced than existing games that vibrate the hands, and can simulate the tug of a fishing line, the feeling of ocean waves or the recoil of a gun. Credit: Markus Montandon, University of Utah
The prototype of the new game controller resembles the controllers used for Sony PlayStation or the Microsoft Xbox with an additional thumb joystick feature. The center of each thumb stick features a red, round tactor, on which the user places the thumb and moves it for the control. During the game, if the player’s avatar gets his or her finger bitten by a fish, then the tactor mimics the jerk of the fish and the player feels the movement.
An associate mechanical engineering professor at University of Utah, William Provancher commented that the game consoles will likely take a couple of years to come to the market. Provancher hopes to modify the controller for an additional use as a peripheral device for smartphones.
Generally, in video games, the left thumb controls the motion while the right thumb maneuvers the avatar. Using the new controller, when the avatar crawls ahead, the thumbs stick forward and the motion imitates the alternate front and back tugging motion of the soldier’s arms. Professor Provancher explains that by providing a skin-stretch feedback through the controller, a testing environment is created for the better understanding of cognition and perception.
The University of Utah and the National Science Foundation funded the research. The researchers have filed for a patent for the advanced haptics controller.
Source: http://www.utah.edu/