New Haptic Interface Device Adds Sense of Touch to PCs

Novint Technologies has released details of a new haptic interface device for computers that will , the Novint Falcon, which brings interactive three dimensional touch to the consumer mass market. The Novint Falcon, coupled with the company’s 3D touch software, enables people to experience a realistic sense of touch on their computer, fundamentally transforming how they play and interact. Sinificantly, the Novint Falcon is expected to retail for under US$100 and represents a significant breakthrough in 3D touch technology and accessibility.

Until now, haptic devices have cost thousands of dollars and have only been available for commercial or industrial uses. The Novint Falcon which will ship in early 2006, adds a third sense – three dimensional touch – to the computer, enabling an evolution in consumer products like video games and creating significant new opportunities for both existing and emerging mass market applications.

Tom Anderson, Novint’s President and CEO said of the new device, “Imagine having the ability to touch and feel things on your computer – to touch a piece of sandpaper and feel its gritty surface, to feel the force of a golf club as it swings and connects with a ball or, to feel the turns and bumps as a snowboard races down a hill.

The Novint Falcon makes interactive 3D touch possible and available to consumers, enhancing their play and enabling a whole new level of computer interaction.”