HAPTX INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF211-CSO1

Description

HaptX is a small business which creates haptic devices for enterprise and DoD applications that simulate touch sensation with a high level of realism. HaptX’s product offerings include HaptX Gloves DK2 haptic gloves and the Tactile Telerobot, a haptic teleoperation platform which integrates HaptX Gloves with robotic arms, robotic hands, and tactile sensors for dexterous remote manipulation. HaptX Gloves and Tactile telerobot are proven commercial products. DoD customers, such as the Defense Intelligence Agency, the US Army, and The Defense Health Agency have adopted or are trialing HaptX Gloves. Global defense contractors, including Engineering and Computer Simulations, Charles River Analytics, and RUAG have adopted HaptX Gloves for defense applications. Leading corporations like Microsoft, Honda, and Toyota have purchased HaptX Gloves and/or Tactile Telerobot for commercial applications. HaptX Gloves DK2 is the most advanced VR glove available on the market today. Unlike other haptic gloves which are limited to vibration and force feedback, HaptX Gloves physically displace the user’s skin the way a real object would when touched. HaptX Gloves contain 133 discrete points of tactile feedback that displace the user’s skin up to 2mm to accurately render the shape, texture, and movement of virtual objects. Exotendons apply up to 40 lbs. (175 N) of resistive force per hand to prevent the user’s fingers from penetrating the surface of solid virtual objects. A proprietary magnetic motion capture system tracks 30 degrees of freedom (DoF) to track the user’s hand pose with sub-millimeter precision. The fully featured HaptX SDK, included with HaptX Gloves and Tactile Telerobot, provides seamless integration with leading VR and robotics software commonly used by DoD and commercial customers, including Unreal Engine, Unity, and ROS. Multiple pairs of HaptX Gloves can be networked together for collaborative haptic VR experiences across large distances. HaptX SDK also provides full body tracking and inverse kinematics for enhanced presence in virtual environments. In addition to HaptX’s current COTS product offerings, HaptX and collaborators Virginia Tech and University of Florida are developing the ForceBot exoskeleton with support from the National Science Foundation. ForceBot will add grounded, body-scale force feedback to HaptX’s Gloves and Tactile Telerobot offerings. ForceBot will further enhance the already industry-leading haptic realism of HaptX Gloves, particularly for applications requiring precise control of large forces (e.g., tool use or weapon operation).