The Tangible Media Group of MIT's Media Lab has taken a different approach to haptics. This approach is reminiscent of the SimStim in William Gibson's Neuromancer, a device that translated digital information into a full-on body experience. Bluetooth technology, it is hoped, will solve problems of multiple device connectivity. Instead of wires or infrared, Bluetooth uses radio frequencies to allow devices to communicate. A consortium of big computer makers including Toshiba and IBM have agreed to the Bluetooth standard.
Potential applications are immediate.
If you happen to have downloaded the latest chicken recipes, your microwave at home would be uploaded with that same recipe as soon as you enter the kitchen. Your refrigerator would then advise you on whether you had the necessary ingredients. If not, the proper groceries would be ordered online and delivered.