52 FUTURE SHOCK Haptic Technology
MARTYN GATES explains how the sense of touch could be brought into the broadcast world, enabling truly immersive viewing
he broadcast industry has continuously pioneered
improvements in image fidelity and resolution to ensure the best
possible quality and broadest accessibility. However, there is one area that is only now catching up, and that’s the area of ‘haptics’, or communicating the sense of touch in a virtual environment. Haptic technology is already being deployed in the industrial world. But can the sensation of touch realistically be brought into the broadcast world? Is it possible to add yet another sensory input to our viewing, and edge nearer to a truly ‘immersive’ holy grail of viewer experience? Are ‘the feelies’ of Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World just around the corner? At the very least, enabling the option of a sense of touch could offer more inclusivity for those whose other senses may be missing or less developed – on something of a par with subtitles and
Words by Martyn Gates, director of product development, Densitron
Haptic technology offers the ability to feel things in the digital realm. It has the potential to change how we experience content – and how we make it
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