AIREAL BY DISNEY RESEARCH

Tactile sensations in free air

Quick question: what words do you naturally associate with “Disney”? illusion, fantasy, innovation, adventurous? So do we! We can happily say AIREAL confirms our intuition! Disney Research delivers an inexpensive haptic technology, enabling users to touch virtual and dynamic objects.

Children please stop reading, it’s time to reveal the trick behind the magic. AIREAL uses a vortex, a ring of air, that can travel during long journeys without losing its form nor speed. It is precisely when the vortex reaches the person’s skin that it explodes to unleash a strength she can feel.

AIREAL allows to experience virtually varying textures and sensations in the air…without even closely touching an object! Add to the magical recipe a 3D printed enclosure, bendable nozzle and a pan and tilt gimbal frame and you almost have all the ingredients used to create large-scale computer augmented environments. Gaming, storytelling and mobile interfaces might undergo a drastic change in the close future. We’d love to know if Cruella intends to use AIREAL for her next evil scheme!