VR Gloves – Touch the Metaverse with the best tools
Virtual reality tech continues to push forward as we now have VR gloves! Back then, our only way to access digital worlds is by wearing VR headsets. This allowed people to look around their favorite games as if they were using their bodies in those worlds.
Nowadays, various companies want to merge virtual worlds with real-life, but VR headsets are not enough. They will only be as good as real-world locations if you can interact with them like in real life. Fortunately, we can almost touch this future with the help of the best VR haptic gloves!
Many people still do not understand VR tech, so I will briefly explain what VR gloves do. After that, I will go through the great VR gloves you can buy right now. Later, I will also mention some interesting entries that didn’t make it into the list of recommendations.
Here are the VR gloves we will explore later:
- Hi5 VR Gloves
- Forte Data Gloves
- Teslasuit Gloves
What is a VR glove?
Photo Credit: wired.com
You’ve probably heard of virtual reality, a world generated by a computer. We now have those, but you need VR headsets to access them.
Wear them, and you get to look around that area as if you’re truly there. The headset often comes with two controllers that let you hold virtual objects and even perform hand gestures.
Nowadays, more companies want to make the concept of the Metaverse come true. It refers to the merging of virtual spaces with real life. In other words, they want VR worlds that work like real-world locations.
This means you will be able to hear, see, smell, feel, and touch things in these places. However, we may only see and hear in VR worlds. Fortunately, VR gloves may bring touch to the Metaverse.
They decided to provide haptic feedback when interacting with VR. The term “haptic” refers to the sense of touch. Using these gloves in VR will make virtual objects feel like they’re real ones.
The early versions only provided hand-tracking. Now, they have more advanced motion tracking for finger tracking. This will let people use their hands like normal in VR.
The following recommendations go above and beyond these features. Some allow you to feel pressure and texture. Others come with a full-body haptic suit!
#1. Hi5 VR Gloves
Get your hands in the game: #Noitom’s Hi5 #VR gloves can track your fingers and hands on the @htcvive. https://t.co/fPAfhuFwi5 pic.twitter.com/lxt5zOdmQL
— Newegg (@Newegg) January 13, 2017
It will be the public’s first time wearing gloves for VR, so they would want one that’s easy to use. The Hi5 VR Gloves are the most accessible ones right now.
That’s because the Hi5 is plug-and-play, meaning it’s easy to set up. You only need a few minutes to adjust the tool to your hand, and you’re set. What’s more, it has full finger tracking.
This means it will let you use the full range of your hands while in VR. What’s interesting about its single-hand mode. As the name suggests, you could use just one VR glove.
It also has vibration rumblers on each hand that users may customize. This will allow people to choose how haptic feedback improves their VR experiences.
Noitom International created these gloves, and they knew they must be ready for long-time use. Look back when you’re using ordinary gloves, and you’ll remember how icky they could get.
That’s why the people at Noitom designed it with antibacterial and breathable material. That way, the Hi5 VR Gloves stay clean and dry longer than other gloves.
The only drawback is that it only works with HTC VIVE VR gloves. The Hi5 costs $999.99, but it only has a business edition. Believe it or not, this is more affordable than others!
Read More: What Is The Metaverse?
#2. Forte Data Gloves
Excited to have our AR/VR Forte Glove selected for “Asha,” an avatar robot for next-generation social #telerobotics and semi-finalist for @xprize https://t.co/FNvlSXliGx
@iiscbangalore @hansonrobotics @artparkindia @TCS #robotics #AI #VR— BeBop Sensors (@BeBopSensors) September 30, 2021
This one’s the opposite of the Hi5 VR Gloves. The Forte Data Gloves work with VR headsets like the Oculus Quest and Windows Mixed Reality.
The Hi5 is only compatible with the HTC VIVE, mostly marketed for video games. On the other hand, the Forte Data was designed for employee training.
For example, it’s used for collecting data for clinical data. Some use these gloves to design and test products within virtual reality. You can say they put the “hands” in VR hands-on training!
Similar to the Hi5, it’s breathable and antibacterial. However, the Forte Data Gloves provides more versatility by providing downloadable development kits.
These will let you program your gestures into the gloves. If you know how to code in Python, you could personalize your Forte Data Gloves as well.
The only major issue is that its website doesn’t share an exact price. You will have to fill up and submit a request form on the BeBop Sensors webpage.
#3. Teslasuit Gloves
Teslasuit — known for its full-body haptic feedback suit — is introducing a glove that can let users feel virtual textures and gather biometric data. The device is called the “Teslasuit Glove,” and it will debut at #CES #CES2020 pic.twitter.com/IoHtV5S9t7
— VRARA – UpNext: Digital Fashion (@thevrara) December 26, 2019
You’re probably aware of how people use smartwatches for fitness, right? The high-tech wristwatch lets you monitor vital signs like blood pressure and heart rate.
What if you can put those features in a VR glove? The England-based company VR Electronics brings this to you with its Teslasuit Gloves.
It has the hand and finger tracking features of the previous entries. Yet, the Teslasuit sets itself apart by providing biometric monitoring to users.
The Teslasuit Gloves gathers this information to determine how much stress you’re experiencing. As the name suggests, it’s compatible with the full-body Teslasuit.
VR Technologies refers to it simply as “The Suit.” Its motion capture helps people practice certain bodily movements. This VR haptic suit will compare the wearer’s moves with a professional’s.
This allows for an immersive and effective training environment in VR. Still, you may just purchase the Teslasuit VR Gloves if you’re not interested.
Like the Forte Data Gloves, you will have to forward a web form to the company to get an exact price. Although, an interview with the head of R&D Serge Khurs revealed that it cost around $5,000.
What’s more, its huge haptic displays may become an issue for some people. These measure 3×3 per finger, so this might be best for people with small hands.
Other VR gloves are coming soon
How do we touch the virtual world? Our Reality Labs team is working to create the technology to make it possible. Today we shared some progress in researching and developing haptic gloves to bring the sense of touch to the metaverse. Check it out https://t.co/MliVQQdtfs pic.twitter.com/mdOsMwXE5Q
— Meta (@Meta) November 16, 2021
There are so many great projects that didn’t make it to the list. That’s because many of them are still under development. Others aren’t accessible for most people.
Meta’s VR glove project is a great example. It announced that it wants to lead innovations for the Metaverse. That’s why it’s developing haptic accessories for virtual reality.
People were amazed by how it simulates pressure on different parts of the wearer’s hands. This lets the person feel the virtual object as if it has weight.
Unfortunately, reviewers were only able to test it in the Reality Labs building. At the time of writing, there’s no exact release date for this product. Here are other similar devices:
- TactGlove – Korean company bHaptics announced its consumer-ready VR gloves at CES 2022. It features ten Linear Resonant Actuators (LRA) on each fingertip that allows delicate feedback. What’s more, the TactGlove is relatively more affordable than most competitors as the gloves cost around $299.
- HaptX Gloves – The California-based company HaptX also released its VR gloves at CES 2022. It claims to have the “strongest force feedback.” However, it has a huge exoskeleton covering nearly half the wearer’s forearm.
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Final thoughts
Those are some of the VR gloves that you can buy right now. You may learn more about those alternatives by browsing the internet. It seems the Metaverse is getting closer, isn’t it?
Our world is going through so many changes to reach this tech-driven future. We are now so close with gloves and other VR tools that we could almost touch them.
That’s why you’ll have to keep up with the latest tech trends around the world. You can start by reading more articles from Inquirer USA. They provide a wealth of info in your hands!
