‘Vibrotactile’ wearable integrates haptics for everyday use

Somatic Labs' Moment wearable features 'vibrotactile' haptic technology, with four resonators enabling unique vibration combinations for use in communication and navigation.

We’ve seen how assistive haptic wearables can enable those with limited sight to navigate more easily around town or allow blind swimmers to know when to make a turn. Now, a new wearable is opening up the technology to wider applications.

Moment, from Somatic Labs, works like a smart watch, connecting to smart devices via an app to offer a range of customisable haptic features. The ‘vibrotactile’ wearable is capable of producing combinations of vibrations via four resonator points located at each corner of the watch. This allows the user to assign unique patterns for specific incoming calls and alerts, as well as more esoteric features such as a metronome for musicians or the ability to have vibrations reflect directionality when using navigation apps. Moment will begin shipping in fall 2016 at an early bird price of USD 129, with plans for a hackable API and integrated IFTTT features.

Of course, it’s not just those with partial or no vision who can benefit from haptic feedback. We’ve seen sports fans feel the emotions of their favourite rugby players through a haptic jersey and firefighters use haptic signals in low visibility. In what other contexts could haptic feedback replace or enhance visual/auditory signals?