Relax and tighten, Kyle!

Relax and Tighten — A Haptics-based Approach to Simulate Sphincter Tone Assessment, presented at Asia Haptics 2016 (might be considered NSFW by some, or work related by others):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grhmHvthag8

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-10-4157-0_...

http://docplayer.net/199792802-Relax-and-tighten-a-haptics-b...

DiRECT: we put the "finger" into "digital"!

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/engagement-and-simulation-science...

Good golly, they've even gamified it:

>+ Public Engagement: Haptics-enabled Palpation Racing Game at the Big Bang Festival. London (2012). (Appendix E)

You should check out some of the other videos from Asia Haptics 2016, like the "Prostate Tumor Palpation Simulator Based on Pneumatic and Augmented Haptics", "Synesthesia Suit", "Rubber Hand Illusion Using Tactile Projector
", "Reconsideration of Ouija Board Motion in Terms of Haptics Illusions", and also Hiroo Iwata's classic "3DOF Multitouch Haptic Interface with Movable Touchscreen".

I can't imagine how much fun the afterparties of that conference must have been.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8qMmIgmWhnQBeABjGlzGbg/vid...

I especially love this one (totally safe for work), which is genius:

3DOF Multitouch Haptic Interface with Movable Touchscreen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCZPmj7NtSQ

>Shun Takanaka, Hiroaki Yano, Hiroo Iwata, Presented at AsiaHaptics2016.
This paper reports on the development of a multitouch haptic interface equipped with a movable touchscreen. When the relative position of two of a user’s fingertips is fixed on a touchscreen, the fingers can be considered a hand-shaped rigid object. In such situations, a reaction force can be exerted on each finger using a three degrees of freedom (3DOF) haptic interface. In this study, a prototype 3DOF haptic interface system comprising a touchscreen, a 6-axis force sensor, an X-Y stage, and a capstan drive system was developed. The developed system estimates the input force from fingers using sensor data and each finger’s position. Further, the system generates reaction forces from virtual objects to the user’s fingertips by controlling the static frictional force between each of the user’s fingertips and the screen. The system enables users to perceive the shape of two-dimensional virtual objects displayed on the screen and translate/rotate them with their fingers. Moreover, users can deform elastic virtual objects, and feel their rigidity.

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-10-4157-0_...

I'm a huge fan of Hiroo Iwata's work (described as "the most prolific exhibitor of edgy haptic devices", who proclaims "Taste is the last frontier of virtual reality")! And he has excellent taste.

Check out his "Food Simulator" that Michael Naimark writes about in the "Other Senses (Touch, Smell, Taste, Mind)" section of his "VR / AR Fundamentals" series:

https://michaelnaimark.medium.com/vr-ar-fundamentals-3-other...

>The Food Simulator, Hiroo Iwata, University of Tsukuba, 2003 [illustration]

https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/1*DDMmiwG-ovLlaJ79YIj3Sw.jp...

>In 2003, the Food Simulator premiered at the Siggraph Tomorrow’s Reality Gallery in the LA Convention Center. Participants were asked to put in their mouth a gauze-covered electro-mechanical device with a thin plastic hose attached. Biting down triggered the device to quickly contract while squirting a food flavored chemical into the participant’s mouth. While many found it “novel” (or worse) virtually no one could make the leap between this device and virtual food. To its credit, the lead inventor, University of Tsukuba professor Hiroo Iwata, is perhaps the most prolific exhibitor of edgy haptic devices.

Food Simulator: Hiroo Iwata, Hiroaki Yano, Tkakahiro Uemura, Tetsuro Moriya, University of Tsukuba

http://icat.vrsj.org/papers/2003/00876_00000.pdf

>Abstract: The Food Simulator is a haptic interface that
presents biting force. A taste of food arises from
mixture of chemical, auditory, olfactory and haptic
sensation. Haptic sensation while eating is a remained
problem in taste display. The Food Simulator generates
force to the user’s teeth to display food texture. The
device is composed of four linkages. The mechanical
configuration of the device is designed to fit to the
mouth. A force sensor is attached to the end effecter.
The Food Simulator generates force according to the
force profile captured from a real food. The device is
integrated with auditory and chemical display for multimodal sensation in taste.

https://ars.electronica.art/center/en/food-simulator/

Food Simulator demo from VR Lab University of Tsukuba

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqbgwjKnXBo

Here's some more cool Hiroo Iwata stuff -- I hope this gives you some interesting ideas to chew on! ;) :

Hiroo Iwata, Hara Design Institute (Circula Floor: treadmill robot tiles)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipa8D4N2Vf4

Floating Eye installation by Hiroo Iwata : DigInfo (separating vision from the body, probably pretty fun on shrooms during a sunny day outside)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In-M1eVAnYc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJmD1DrSvao

Induced Pulling Sensation by Synthesis of Frequency Component for Voice-Coil Type Vibrators (right up your alley, Kyle!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46DaNqOVDU0

That compares devices from Tactile Labs:

http://tactilelabs.com/

Haptic Interface for Shape and Texture Recognition of Remote Objects by Using a Laser Range Finder (which seems to incorporate a virtual implementation of Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth's "Fing-Longer" technology)

https://futurama.fandom.com/wiki/Fing-Longer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZhAHz7HA3E

Haptic Web (check out the old school Netscape browser running on an SGI!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gbh6qeWzdDg

Volflex (a volumetric haptic display, squishy pneumatic balloons, clay with undo/redo)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2GBAjrDAek

Anomalocaris (so creepy I won't even try to describe it)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amzGBQ-s0vo

Development of a Block Machine for Volleyball Attack Training (words can't even...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-VUMU83oEs

More cool VR Lab University of Tsukuba videos:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWdB83ZRmcQRDU0ESk_Q30Q/vid...

Iwata Hiroo:

https://trios.tsukuba.ac.jp/en/researcher/0000001005

Virtual Reality Lab:

https://www.vrlab.esys.tsukuba.ac.jp/