Korea-based TEGway, developers of a haptic accessory which generates hot and cold temperatures with impressively low latency, plans to launch a wearable VR thermal haptic dev kit aim in March. We got to try the latest prototype this week at CES 2020.

We first got our hands on an early prototype of Tegway’s impressive ‘ThermoReal’ haptic tech back in 2017; it was the first demo that really convinced me of the value of thermal haptics. At the time the company was showing how its flexible material, which can quickly generate convincing hot and cold temperatures, could be suitable for integrating into VR controllers.

Photo by Road to VR

At CES 2020 this week Tegway showed off its latest tech, this time a prototype of an upcoming development kit focused on VR. The prototype consists of five parts: two ‘gloves’, two ‘sleeves’, and a forehead-mounted unit which brings temperature fluctuations to your face. Unlike an earlier prototype which was hooked up with big cables, these units were all powered by small, integrated batteries.

Forehead mounted thermal haptic modules | Photo by Road to VR

The company showed a rudimentary but functional VR demo using the ThermoReal dev kit with an HTC Vive. In the demo, a character throws fireballs or snowballs at you; the gloves on each hand would respond with the appropriate temperature effect depending upon which was thrown and which hand you blocked the ball with. If the fireball or snowball hit you in the face, you’d feel the temperature on your face thanks to the forehead-mounted haptic unit.

Photo by Road to VR

The demo also demonstrated an interesting haptic effect which, while it made use of temperature differences, conveyed something different than simply hot or cold. In the demo you could expand a light shield on your hand which would block the incoming projectiles and disperse their energy across the shield. The glove and sleeve haptics responded by quickly alternating between hot and cold, creating a ‘force’ sensation that was really interesting; the feeling of hot and cold spreading rapidly over my arm created a unique feeling that could be used for more general haptic feedback than simply indicating which things are hot and cold.

Tegway’s ThermoReal tech is a flexible thermoelectric generator based on something called the Seebeck Effect which creates a temperature differential based on electric current.

The haptic effect isn’t as fast as you’d expect from something like rumble haptics, but I was very surprised at just how quickly (and to what extent) the device was capable of achieving a meaningful sensation of hot and cold.

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When it came to the ‘heat’ effect, the device got hot enough at times that I was worried that I’d have to rip it off if it got any hotter. When I had tried the tech back in 2017, I asked one of the creators if there was any risk of injury and was told that the device would only get up to 4°C hotter than body temperature. Based on how hot it felt, I’m still skeptical of that claim, though it’s possible that the rate of heat increase (rather than the measured temperature itself) could signal to my brain a more severe sensation of heat.

The ‘cold’ effect was the fastest in terms of latency and impressively quick at that. It didn’t reach uncomfortable levels of cold, but was enough to feel like I was gripping an ice cube.

Photo by Road to VR

Thermoelectric generators like ThermoReal are not new. What is new, says TEGway, is the form-factor of their device. It takes the form of a flexible skin-like array of conductors which can be curved and wrapped around various surfaces, which could make it perfect for integration into VR controllers, gloves, or even suits.

To that end, TEGway plans to launch its first development kit in March. The kit includes the gloves, sleeves, and forehead module; the company is targeting a $1,000 price point for the dev kit.

Photo by Road to VR

While the gloves and sleeves offered a convincing demo of the tech, it’s clear that thermal haptics would be much more viable if integrated into the things that VR users are already holding or wearing (like controllers and headsets). Various other haptic devices, trackers, and the like, which require players to put on additional accessories each time they play, have faced significant adoption challenges. As a separate ‘wearable’ accessory, ThermoReal would likely be relegated to  non-consumer use-cases like training, rehabilitation, simulation, and maybe out-of-home VR attractions.

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Ben is the world's most senior professional analyst solely dedicated to the XR industry, having founded Road to VR in 2011—a year before the Oculus Kickstarter sparked a resurgence that led to the modern XR landscape. He has authored more than 3,000 articles chronicling the evolution of the XR industry over more than a decade. With that unique perspective, Ben has been consistently recognized as one of the most influential voices in XR, giving keynotes and joining panel and podcast discussions at key industry events. He is a self-described "journalist and analyst, not evangelist."
  • blue5peed

    This looks really cool I wonder if they could sell a facial interface or maybe a controller grip with this kind of functon. Imagine feeling the heat when you have a fire spell in your hand in Skyrim.

  • JesperL

    Biggest problem with all these haptic items for VR, is that it will take 10 minutes to prepare for VR, getting into all the gadgets.
    We will look like armed icehockey players with all that different gear :D

    • NooYawker

      Yea I’m not excited about haptics. I’m more concerned about low cost limb tracking.

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  • Trenix

    I’ll pass, cooling will be nice but heating is not. Already sweat too much as it is.

  • Marcin Stachowiak

    Sure… Integrated into a controller, powered by magic. Do you guys realise that those things use a lot of power?

  • Foreign Devil

    wouldn’t this tech be more useful in emergency rescue or other areas? I’d like to feel forms. .but not so much different temperatures in games.

  • I dunno what 4 degrees C means, how about you update that for America?

    • RiftSpace

      Close to 40 degrees F.

  • I remember when we met at Gamescom and tried this together with Scott Hayden. Impressive tech, I had the same sensation of extreme cold and hot that could hurt me. These guys are doing pretty well