See me, feel me: VR goggles. Photograph: David Sillitoe/Guardian
Back during the virtual reality craze a few years ago, the idea of being able to touch and feel. Now that virtual worlds are back on the agenda, researchers at Queen's University in Belfast are working on systems that will allow you to use your sense of touch online.
According to a news release, a team of engineers are trying to work out how you can use haptics inside the virtual, networked environment.
At present, almost all haptic devices are only capable of being connected to a single stand-alone system. Professor Marshall and his partners hope to develop networks to increase the user's immersion in a virtual environment by allowing them not only to see but also to touch the environment around them.
It is hoped users will also be able to share these sensations with fellow users in numerous locations. The study will also aim to overcome the challenge of maintaining a consistent view of the shared information in the face of inevitable network delays and variable bandwidth.
Given the nature of the web and the possibilities of touch, I can only imagine exactly what would get squeezed, prodded and poked over the net.
But it's another move forward for haptics, which could potentially be combined with new technology that uses vibration to fool you into thinking you're touching real buttons when you're actually using a touchscreen.
