A JAPANESE start-up is developing technology that will allow users to feel senses including pain when they are in a virtual world.
H2L, which is backed by Sony and was founded a decade ago, has built a product that features an armband to detect the flexing of human muscles.
This enables the user’s avatars in the metaverse to copy the body’s movements and feel the presence and weight of objects.
The technology uses electrical stimulation to manipulate the arm muscles and mimic sensations, such as catching a ball or a dog licking your skin.
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Emi Tamaki, chief executive and co-founder of H2L, said: “Feeling pain enables us to turn the metaverse world into a real world, with increased feelings of presence and immersion.”
Tamaki is a researcher in haptic technologies, which refers to any technology that can create an experience of touch by applying force, vibrations, or motions to the user.
Her goal is to “release humans from any sort of constraint in terms of space, body and time” by 2029, when, with advances in networks and electronic devices — she expects H2L’s products to have a number of applications.
Tamaki started working in haptics after she had a near-death experience in her teens which was linked to congenital heart disease.
She came up with the idea to build technology that would allow physical experience to be linked with computers when she was in hospital.
She co-founded H2L after securing her PhD in engineering from the University of Tokyo.
She said: “I realised life was precious so I decided to work on a new field that I really wanted to dig into, as there was no one doing research at the time.”
The technology could be used for games as well as enabling people to feel virtual world events in real life.
For example, the technology could allow a user to replicate the feeling of participating in an activity from their childhood.
“People like me, who cannot go out often because I don’t have enough muscle due to heart disease, can travel anywhere, anytime,” she added.
Tamaki’s company is just one of a growing number of Japanese companies and investors tapping into the metaverse.
The top 10 virtual reality start-ups in Japan have raised $60 million, according to data provider Tracxn.
H2L is estimated to have raised $8.4 million and is valued at around $40 million.
They hope to launch an initial public offering of around $170 million within the next five years.
