May 23, 2013
Disney’s Ariel along with Kinect huffs and puffs to give tactile feedback to the gamer
by Sayan ChakravartyEver since Xbox One has been reviled somehow Kinect is trending more than the gaming console, the latest Kinect 2.0 is definitely a great piece of engineering because of the sheer amount to things it is capable of doing. Disney has developed a device called Ariel that compliments the Kinect for an enhanced game play experience. It provides physical feedback to the user without actually holding anything physically. It sits on the top of the TV along the Kinect and pumps out compressed air to give a kind of feedback.
Disney Research described Ariel’s technology by saying “it delivers interactive tactile experiences in free air.” It tracks the user and the nozzle moves accordingly and the air comes out as a vortex which means it can travel fair bit of distance. Disney hasn’t divulged any information on it availability or pricing but the components of this device are pretty cheap so if it’s launched it won’t cost a lot. But the question is would a gamer actually want one?
[Via – Geek]