Disney’s Newest Technology Aims to Control the Air Around Us

Disney's Imagineers are once again working to make the impossible seem possible.

According to a recent story on engadget.com, Disney Research is working on ways to add haptic feedback to thin air.

For those of you non-technical people, haptic feedback is the use of the sense of touch in a user interface design that provides information to an end user. In simpler terms - think about when your smartphone vibrates when you use the touchscreen or what it feels like when you experience resistive force on video game steering wheels. That's haptic feedback.

And Disney is working on using a combination of 3D printed components with five actuators and a lot of sensors to have something called AIREAL send punches of air out to simulate touch. The ultimate goal of this technology is to give guests "touchy feely" live feedback to all three dimensions of their surroundings.

Check out the video of AIREAL here.

Story by Traci C., Source