AI-Enabled Mid-Air Haptic Texture Generation

Project Information

E-TEXTURES

Grant agreement ID: 101034493

DOI

10.3030/101034493

Project closed

EC signature date 11 March 2021

Start date 1 April 2021

End date 30 June 2022

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 100 000,00

Coordinated by

ULTRALEAP LIMITED
United Kingdom

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - E-TEXTURES (AI-Enabled Mid-Air Haptic Texture Generation)

Reporting period: 2021-04-01 to 2022-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Virtual interactions and digitalisation improve many aspects of daily life, enabling easy execution of a myriad of tasks from our desktops. But touch is still not part of this picture. The H-Reality project developed a novel haptic algorithm that uses AI and a series of phased ultrasonic waves to create textured holograms that you can touch and feel in mid-air. This EU-funded project called E-Textures was focused on advancing this technology toward commercialization and enabling real-time virtual touch interactions in a variety of market sectors such as retail, heritage, and healthcare. To that end our three project objectives were to (1) understand market opportunities through market research and validation activities, (2) create demo prototypes that address the identified market opportunities and achieve product-market fit, and (3) engage with industry and validate a business model that will kickstart commercial activities and stakeholder discussions.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The project has delivered an extensive market research report highlighting industry trends and opportunities for mid-air haptics in general, and mid-air textures in particular. On that basis, we then developed a series of prototype demonstrators that had a clear market value proposition or differentiator factor, compared to state-of-the-art solutions. Finally, the project consortium showcased those demos and engaged with a number of interested stakeholders in the identified markets.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Most mid-air haptic demonstrators have to date been engineering prototypes focusing on some novel technical feasibility or capability. In contrast, our project has made progress and moved the technology forward toward a commercialization and growth phase. This was achieved through the development of pre-production prototypes that are coherent with market needs and business opportunities.

These have included demonstrators that: 1) enable retail shoppers to sample products in augmented reality (AR) before they buy, 2) museum-goers to have an engaging and fun experience such as touching an extinct animal or ancient relics, 3) people with spider phobia to overcome their fears in a safe and controlled environment, and 4) to enhance audiobooks with a tactile narrative sensation.

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