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19 November 2021Patents

HaptX raises patent concerns over Meta’s touch-tech glove

Seattle-based haptics company HaptX has accused Facebook’s parent company, Meta, of releasing a prototype glove featuring touch technology that appears to be “substantively identical to HaptX’s patented technology”.

Jake Rubin, founder and CEO of HaptX, released a statement regarding Meta’s alleged infringement on Wednesday, November 17.

HaptX has been operating in the field of microfluidic haptic feedback for a decade and, according to Rubin, now has an “industry-leading patent portfolio”.

The haptics company has a patented microfluidic system, whereby tactile actuators displace skin up to 2mm to apply physical pressure in the same way that real-world objects are sensed.

HaptX uses these actuators in silicone panels and weaves them into gloves, essentially allowing wearers of the gloves to experience sensations when touching virtual objections (for example, in a virtual reality - VR).

According to HaptX’s website, the gloves bring industrial-grade haptics and natural interaction to VR for the first time, and governments and Fortune 500 companies are using HaptX gloves for workforce training and industrial design.

HaptX released its first prototype of its gloves in 2017.

On Tuesday, November 16, Meta released an article sharing its research on bringing touch into VR, specifically in relation to haptic gloves.

According to Facebook’s parent company, Meta’s research team is creating new breakthroughs to make haptic gloves a reality and they are “developing the world’s first, high-speed microfluidic processor”.

Meta said its researchers have been working on this for the past seven years, and shared images and a demo reel depicting the prototype haptic glove.

HaptX has taken issue with Meta’s alleged breakthrough.

“The core components of this prototype, including the silicone-based microfluidic tactile feedback laminate and pneumatic control architecture, appear to be substantively identical to HaptX’s patented technology,” Rubin’s statement said.

It continued: “We welcome interest and competition in the field of microfluidic haptics; however, competition must be fair for the industry to thrive.”

Rubin said that HaptX had not yet heard from Meta. However, the haptics company looks forward to working with Meta to reach a fair and equitable arrangement that addresses HaptX’s patent concerns and enables Meta to incorporate HaptX’s technology into their future consumer products.

The bubbling patent dispute comes shortly after Facebook’s parent company announced that it would now be known as Meta, to reflect the company’s focus on bringing the metaverse to life and building technologies that help people to connect.

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