NTT Docomo develops haptic sharing technology in Japan

Japanese researchers have developed a new technology that allows users to share their sense of touch.

The strongest telecommunication company in Japan, NTT Docomo and Keio University along with Nagoya Institute of Technology are working on this project and claim it is the first system of its kind in the world.

This system uses sensors to measure the frequency of the subtle vibrations that a person feels when touching an object. This data can be used to reproduce the vibrations on a device held by another person. This is called haptic technology .

Haptic perception refers to information obtained through the cutaneous and motor systems, providing a way to recreate the sense of touch through a series of forces, vibrations, and movements.

Although already in the 1990s this technology began to be studied and developed in different fields such as research, telephony, video games or Virtual Reality, among others, until now it had not been done in a shared way, as is the case. which is being developed by NTT Docomo.

The researchers say the system could help teach and preserve skills that rely on touch, such as traditional crafts.

They say the technology could also be used by online retailers to let people shopping for clothes feel the materials beforehand.

Several options for practical use for remote medical care are currently being analyzed and the technology will continue to be developed so that other senses and emotions can be measured. In fact, Japan’s space agency hopes to use avatars for lunar exploration.