Current Technology/ Programs Related to XR

What Are Haptics?

What are haptics? As defined by Oxford Dictionary. “The use of technology that stimulates the senses of touch and motion, especially to reproduce in remote operation or computer simulation the sensations that would be felt by a user interacting directly with physical objects.”

Other names for haptics are kinaesthetic communication, or 3D touch. Whether you know it or not you have been experiencing haptics in your everyday life for quite some time now. Smart phones use haptics to help signal when you have touched a button on your smart phone digital screen. Slight vibration simulates that your command has been registered. This allows the user to know that the input has been completed and that another input can be made. Using haptic gear helps to Immerse the users even more so into the digital environment which they then mentally begin to connect that what they are seeing also is physical and responsive to touch or stimulation.

Forms of haptic feedback technologies include force, vibrotactile, electrotactile, ultrasound, and thermal feedback

Existing Products

Hardlight Suite

“In early 2017 virtual reality (VR) startup Nullspace VR launched a Kickstarter crowd-funding campaign for an upper body haptic device called the Hardlight Suit.”

HaptX Gloves DK2

133 points of tactile feedback per hand creates a realistic feel that gives shape and form to virtual objects. Haptx Gloves DK2 utilizing Microfluidic skin, Force feedback exoskeleton, Magnetic motion tracking

Existing Programs

Unity

This platform is used for development within gaming, Automotive and transportation manufacturing, film and animation, as well as within Architecture, Engineering and Construction. Unity is used by, Microsoft, Hololense, Oculose, Plastation, Xbox, Nentendo

Twinmotion

A real time rendering platform, that allows for developing high-quality graphics for architecture, construction, urban planning, landscaping. This is a useful tool for creating spaces within a virtual world. It produces light, shadow and utilizes texture mapping.

Unreal

Unreal offers the ability to create realistic Virtual Reality real-time rendered within its complete suite for gaming, design and architecture and world building. Used by Microsoft, PlayStation, Xbox, Apple, IOS, Oculus...

Current Platforms For Virtual Spaces

Mark Zuckerberg the founder of face book announced the re branding and commitment that the company would be shifting its image to promote the metaverse. It is currently one of many large companies working to be a leader in developing the Metaverse. However as pointed out in the April 6th, 2022 article by Luke Pearson and Sandra Youkhana “Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for the metaverse is off to an abysmal start” (https://www.fastcompany.com/90738186/mark-zuckerbergs-vision-for-the-metaverseis-off-to-an-abysmal-start) It will be a while for the visual language and Architectural forms of the metaverse to be able to disengage from the physical of the real world. As architects, we can continue to build physical spaces, we can begin to design and construct visual ones.

This concept is not far off from what architects currently do while designing BIM (Building information Modeling) models and work within 2D and 3D whin developing construction documents. The care and consideration that goes into designing buildings and public spaces is precisely what qualifies architects to design for those users that choose to engage within virtual environment.

An online artical by Arti found on Analytics Insights website from April 7th, 2022 Lists 10 metaverse virtual worlds.(https://www.analyticsinsight.net/looking-for-metaversevirtual-worlds-here-are-top-10-to-explore/)

• Decentraland • HyperVerse • The Star Atlas (ATLAS) • Matrix World • Sand Box • Somnium Space • Crytovoxels • NFT World • Substrata • World Wide Webb

In addition to this list there are additional gaming platforms like Roblox and Blocktopia.The main factor that allows the list of different platforms to