hapticity » vibrating belt http://hapticity.net Wed, 16 May 2012 14:41:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 #/?v=3.5.1 Haptic ambient display for soldiers /2011/07/01/haptic-ambient-display-for-soldiers/ /2011/07/01/haptic-ambient-display-for-soldiers/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:26:44 +0000 Dave /?p=4249

Researchers at the Army Research Office developed a vibrating belt with eight mini actuators — “tactors” — that signify all the cardinal directions. The belt is hooked up to a GPS navigation system, a digital compass and an accelerometer, so the system knows which way a soldier is headed even if he’s lying on his side or on his back.

The tactors vibrate at 250 hertz, which equates to a gentle nudge around the middle. Researchers developed a sort of tactile morse code to signify each direction, helping a soldier determine which way to go, New Scientist explains. A soldier moving in the right direction will feel the proper pattern across the front of his torso. A buzz from the front, side and back tactors means “halt,” a pulsating movement from back to front means “move out,” and so on.

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