With the new device, a user can feel the scratching sensation when drawing a line on a simulated piece of paper, or feel an object stretch as they reshape it. You could imagine feeling your way through a maze.
People have the ability to add sensations.
If the technology takes off, its creators at the 35-person company see it being used by retailers, such as car dealers and furniture stores, to help Web users feel the texture of products such as cars, furnishings or children's toys. Immersion, based in San Jose, Calif., is privately held but has a big-name backer in the form of microprocessor giant Intel Corp., which has invested an undisclosed amount for a stake in the startup. Rosenberg said the technology will not be shipped in products for the consumer market until the second half of 1998, but it will be showcased at next week's giant Comdex computer industry trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Immersion will display early versions of the mouse at its own booth and at Intel's booth at Comdex in an attempt to generate enthusiasm among both software developers and potential device manufacturers. Immersion currently plans to license the mouse technology to third party manufacturers, following a model it set in 1995 when it began licensing technology for computer game joysticks to a dozen companies, including Logitech International of Switzerland.