Recently, Meta announced two software solutions, Haptics Studio and Haptics SDK, that allow developers to add advanced haptic feedback elements to their Quest product line.
Haptics Studio and SDK leverage Unity and Unreal RT3D engines to create AR VR MR content; Meta's tools allow developers to integrate haptic experiences into Quest apps. Notably, the studio is future-proofed for upcoming Quest devices and legacy devices.
Meta created the Haptics tool to enable a streamlined developer workflow that would help with Quest device uptime and compatibility. Meta Haptics Studio is an app for Mac and Windows XR developers that requires no developer writing or compilation**.
Many XR-based SDKs are working to drive accessibility in this space with low** solutions, especially in the enterprise. XR content development is expensive, so a simple and streamlined service like Haptics Studio is essential to integrating XR business solutions.
In addition, XR is still in its emerging stages, and many people are trying to understand the technology. Therefore, developing accessible pathways to relevant XR technologies is also critical for a framework for future adoption and understanding.
While the market for tactile gloves is huge, and investment in the XR space is growing, the development of tactile gloves is not very active at the moment. While companies like HaptX and Senseglove have made great strides in the field, less attention has been paid to haptic technology.
In addition to this, companies such as Honda, Scania and Volkswagen are experimenting with tactile gloves in the workplace as enterprise end-users, so their emerging trends are becoming apparent. Still, this technology has not caught up with other products in the XR space.
Big companies like Meta seem to have paused research in the field until the release of Haptics Studio, as the company works on other XR investments like MR headsets and smart glasses. But Meta is likely to allow its technology to coexist, from haptics to smart glasses to MR headsets, with innovations in each technology driving Meta's product portfolio.
However, with the rise of the industrial metaverse, haptic software and hardware seem to have encountered new development opportunities and are expected to bring immersive training to many end users, thereby driving the adoption of haptic technology.