Incorporating Temperature into VR Experiences
We have seen virtual reality and augmented reality companies try to give users a way to smell and touch while in an immersive experience. These haptic feedback devices have helped to make VR experiences more “real.” A startup company is shifting the focus to make experiences more thermal . Incorporating fluctuations in temperature works through the use of thermoelectric hardware. A slim, flexible thermoelectric device can heat up or cool down, covering a temperature range of 4 to 40 degrees Celsius very fast. It can also produce both hot and cold zones on the same surface, enabling a simulation of the feel of a pinch on one’s skin. The device works when an electric current goes through a thermoelectric semiconductor, which would create a heat flow between the top and bottom substrate layers, making it act like a heater or cooler. The reverse process can be used for harvesting waste heat through a temperature difference applied to ...
