Contact Control Interfaces, a Cincinnati-based company building haptic hardware for virtual reality applications, has received a $90,000 grant and a supply of Magic Leap AR hardware from Epic Games, the creator of popular videogame Fortnite.
Contact CI said it will use the backing to work on a project called Haptic Integration With AR Interface. CEO Craig Douglass told Cincy Inno this is an expansion on the work the company has already done with haptics, but with a specific focus on augmented reality.
Haptics are the simulation of the sense of touch. We experience this technology on a daily basis when phones vibrate in response to when you touch the screen, or when you play video games and the controller vibrates.
Contact CI takes this technology to the next level. The company's debut product, Maestro, is a set of haptic gloves that pair up with a virtual reality headset, allowing users to experience touch when they utilize VR-based technology.
The technology has been popular in fields requiring simulation training. Douglass said Contact CI has been used for applications such as flight simulators, training first responders, manufacturing and athletics.
Contact CI has some big customers. Late last year, the team entered into its first Department of Defense contract with the U.S. Air Force.
But now, the company is trying to apply its technology to augmented reality. The team is currently exploring welding training in AR and utilizing Epic's creation platform, the Unreal Engine, to research other applications.
Last year, Epic began awarding grants ranging from $5,000 to $500,000 to fund the development of new technology in the 3D graphics community.
