Using ultrasonic arrays to create pressure on users’ hands, this new approach to telehaptic holography allows people to touch and feel at a distance, sharing an enhanced holographic experience way beyond virtual reality.

Aerial imaging panels in the “Haptoclone” system create the visual portion of the shared illusion, which can be experienced simultaneously by different users around the world.

A Kinect sensor translates motions by both users in realtime responses, moving holographic objects in shared three-dimensional spaces and emitting pressure accordingly.

“It would be great to allow people in different locations to communicate with one another while experiencing a sense of touch. We could, for example, put a transparent glass here and divide the room,” explained researcher Yasutoshi Makino. “Imagine if you were in a zoo, and there was a lion on the other side of the glass that you could have the sensation of touching.”

For now, there remain significant limitations, particularly when it comes to the ultrasonic pressures applied – there are safety limits keeping those sensations from being as complete as they might be in reality. So while you can toss a ball back and forth, bear hugs may be a ways off yet.

The post Telehaptics: Holograms Let Users Interact at a Distance first appeared on Gajitz.

A web app interface made available for free to qualifying cat shelters around the country allows people from all over the world to queue up and interact with feline friends in need of entertainment.

Users can engage different toys and cause them to move in various directions, occupying the time of kitties waiting for adoption and encouraging participants to become adopters as well.

Cats may not care too much about whether their owner is around, but they do need stimulation and interaction, hence the development of iPet Companion. Anyone interested in playing this uniquely ‘real’ game can check out the list of participating shelters and humane societies on their website.

The technology can also be employed by cat owners looking to stay connected to their pets from work or distant travel destinations. More from the company: “iPet Companion is the world’s first interactive, web-based pet toy. We Allow users from anywhere in the world the ability to play with animals awaiting adoption in humane societies located across America by controlling a camera and moving toys, in real-time, right from their computer. We aim to improve the lives of shelter pets with a more active lifestyle, higher adoption rates, and increased donations to shelters.”

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Every parent has had the privilege of being the unofficial playground for their tots. Kids just love to climb all over grownups, regardless of how painful a poorly-placed little foot can be. Designer Atsushi Shiraishi at Tama Art University created the Athletitti Vest, a wearable device that turns you into a playground for your little one.

The Athletitti Vest is meant to strengthen the bonds between parent and child, to encourage interactive play and, we assume, to give your kids appropriate places to put their fists and feet.

It looks a little like a primitive torture device: a narrow leather vest held together with thick black rope. It ties around the front, effectively caging in the parent’s torso.

The ropes are sturdy handholds for small children, and because the vest is secured tightly on the body, Junior can climb, hang and swing all he wants. We can’t imagine it would be great for a parent’s back, but it’s a novel way to interact with your littlest kiddos while keeping them super-close.

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Professional shippers and innocent bystanders may rejoice, but others are up in arms about the announcement of a new form of Bubble Wrap designed not to pop, and thus also fail to create that distinctive sound we all know and love (or hate).

American company Sealed Air created iBubble Wrap with interlinked columns of trapped air rather than individual bubbles, allowing contents to squeeze over rather than bursting. Another advantage: unlike its traditional counterparts, this new version will be inflated on-site, making it cheaper and greener to ship to those using it for packaging on a mass scale. The company is also exploring alternative uses, as shown in some of the images here and reflecting the unusual origins of the material (it was designed as a wall covering then repurposed as packing material).

After outbursts on social media, Sealed Air stepped in to reassure consumers who enjoy alternative functions provided by bubble wrap, like scaring siblings or stress relief: “Fear not fans of ‪#‎BubbleWrap‬ and its famous pop! We are excited to expand our Bubble Wrap family to include iBubble Wrap, but the original version you love to pop isn’t going anywhere.”

Still, it is hard to imagine that if this new type works better it won’t naturally replace the original over time as more commercial users adopt and distribute it: “We want to protect what matters most to you, and a version of Bubble Wrap that doesn’t pop (less air loss means more long-lasting protection against damage during shipment) is just one of the ways we can do that.”

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From assembly to programming, the Hackaball combines learning to code with outdoor activity, bringing and internet-of-things approach to a lesson plan normally taught to bored kids stuck sitting indoors at a computer. Using any Apple or Android device, children can program this ball just as they would a desktop or laptop game, except they can take their resulting toy out to play with and share.

This throwable computer’s design starts with a versatile input and output system: “Thanks to tiny sensors, Hackaball knows when it’s falling, trembling, being thrown or kicked, or perfectly still. Tell Hackaball to change colour when it’s dropped, vibrate when it’s hit or even play sounds.”

The sky is essentially the limit – any game, simple or complex, that a child can dream up can be programmed into the ball, allowing it to flex with the imagination, experience and age of its users (generally recommended for 6 through 10). At under $100, the result is a relatively affordable teaching tool that can last for years or be passed (down) to others.

Durability is the key ingredient, provided by a sturdy but flexible membrane, as well as options beyond the ball: “The older kids wanted to stretch the computer to do things outside of the ball itself, which they can do by taking apart the two halves and attaching the computer to a toy car, a Lego construction, or anything else you can program using simple inputs and outputs.”

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