Meta is building VR gloves for the metaverse

A few weeks ago, Mark Zuckerberg explained his vision for the metaverse and rebranded Facebook as “Meta.”

As part of its pivot, Meta said it’s spending ~$10B this year on VR, AR, and hardware related to the metaverse.

On Tuesday, the company unveiled one major project:

A prototype of haptic VR gloves

According to The Verge, Meta is building handwear “that reproduces sensations like grasping an object or running your hand along a surface.”

The glove has been in the works for 7 years and works like so:

• It’s lined with ~15 inflatable plastic pads
• The pads run along the palm, underside of the fingers, and fingertips
• There is a camera and sensors to detect finger movement and bending

Example: If you pick up a plate in the virtual world, the finger pads will inflate to create that real-life feeling.

The technology is called soft robotics…

… and replaces traditional haptic technology that uses “bulky motors with tiny air valves,” per The Verge.

Even if Meta nails the tech, there are a number of challenges it faces before going mass market:

• Hand sizes differ greatly and the glove needs to have a tight fit to be effective
• Cleaning the glove will probably not be as easy as throwing it in the wash
• Biometrics data collected from the glove raises potential privacy concerns

Another product is in the works

Meta’s Reality Labs — the unit responsible for AR/VR hardware — is also building electromyography tools to turn nerve signals in the arm into digital actions.

With a reported 10m Oculus Quest 2 VR headsets already sold, Meta’s solution will set pace for the industry… just like Zuck planned when this photo was taken in 2016.