High-precision haptic gloves

Contracting authority is publishing direct award notice for 'High-precision haptic gloves'.

BACKGROUND INFO TAUCHI Research Center (https://research.tuni.fi/tauchi/) at Tampere University (hereinafter ‘TAU’) conducts research in human-technology interaction in collaboration with partners from several societal sectors. The research infrastructure at TAU provides leading technologies for multimodal and multisensory interaction, including haptics, gaze, speech, XR and human physiological measurement. NEED TAU presently has a HaptX DK2 system that was at its time the most capable haptic glove system for research on haptic interaction. This system is coming to the end of its lifetime. It was a development kit and predecessor of commercial systems. Now, to ensure continuation of our research activities and prepare for new openings, we need to acquire the product version of the system. To contracting authority’s knowledge, the present HaptX equipment still provides a unique and novel approach to generate precise haptic stimuli in both hands with no equal competitors on the market. The accuracy of haptic sensations required in our studies is not possible to be realized by other haptic technologies on the market. The purchase includes two HaptX G1 systems, one for desktop environments and one for mobile environments which extends the opportunities for the types of studies possible with the systems. Mobile functionality is required from one of the systems to be acquired. MARKET ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION FOR DIRECT AWARD The core of this acquisition is two systems including pneumatic microfluidic haptic actuation to provide tactile feedback and force feedback, combined with submillimeter motion tracking of the hands required in such haptic interactions. HaptX G1 is the only system capable for providing this. Other commercial systems available on the market include, e.g. MAGOS gloves, Weart TOUCHdiver, SenseGlove Nova and Teslasuit Gloves, which all have different capabilities not fulfilling the requirements of the present acquisition. They are not able to produce such a fine-grained and expressive sensations that HaptX G1 systems are capable of. As a summary, HaptX systems are the only available option to fulfill our requirements. HaptX systems are sold only by the manufacturer, Advanced Input Systems, due to which a direct purchase is the method of acquisition.