Getting started with the Ultrahaptics

Equipment ID: HMI-062

The Ultrahaptics is a prototype device that uses ultrasonic sound waves to simulate mid-air haptic sensations. Our "Evaluation kit UHEV-1" was the result of a Kickstarter campaign several years ago. Since then, Ultrahaptics has merged with the manufacturer of the Leap Motion, who have continued development of the device under the name Ultraleap.

The device works by generating precise ultrasonic sound waves from a matrix of small speakers. Points where the sound waves are focused can be felt in mid-air above the device (it feels like a small puff of air against your hand). Through the API you can create patterns, and can project the haptic signal on specific parts of the hand. The device has a built-in Leap Motion for tracking the hand.

This can be used, for example, to provide a haptic feedback when interacting with things in virtual reality or on screen (pressing buttons/sliders/knobs, or "touching" objects).

In the box

The box contains the board with the speakers and embedded Leap Motion, a power adapter and various USB cables. There is also a USB stick with all required software and SDKs. Note that you should use these specific software versions, the latest ones from the website may not work correctly for our UHEV-1 device.

images/ultrahaptics/box.jpg images/ultrahaptics/contents.jpg

More information

The official documentation has detailed instructions about setting up the SDK:https://developer.ultrahaptics.com/knowledgebase/building-sdk-examples/

There are also instructions for Unity: https://developer.ultrahaptics.com/kb/unity/