A Japanese company on Monday introduced what it describes as the world’s first technology that lets you "touch" 3-D imagery. Miraisens of Tsukuba, Japan, says its “3-D Haptics” virtual-reality technology allows users to "experience the presence of objects as if their entity existed there physically." That is, although the objects only exist on a computer, users feel as if they can touch, grasp, push and pull them. To get this tactile-like experience, they’ll need a head-mounted display not unlike an Oculus Rift, plus a small device placed on their fingertip. The images the eye sees are blended with assorted vibration patterns created by the fingertip device; this combination fools the brain into thinking a 3-D image is solid, a Miraisens official explained, according to an AFP report. Miraisens says the technology can have all sorts of applications, not the least of which is to enhance the gaming experience.
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