The team of researchers behind the Smart Glove – Haptic Human Computer Interface System for VR/AR and robotics - won the ‘Outstanding Academic Achievement in the field of Digital Technology’ category of the Technology Ireland Software Awards at a ceremony in the Mansion House, Dublin, on Friday night, November 24th.
The smart glove for HCI is a culmination of over a decade of research in the development of motion sensing for the human body and incorporates the latest sensing technologies needed to bridge the human and digital worlds of Augmented/Virtual Reality and robotics. The Wireless Sensor Networks group at the Tyndall National Institute, working in collaboration with the Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG) in Waterford Institute of Technology, and in conjunction with human factors engineering and industrial design experts ‘Design Partners’, as well as manufacturers of wearable technology, hope to create a device that transports people’s hands into the virtual world providing them with a fully immersive experience. Funded by Enterprise Ireland as part of its commercialization fund scheme, the glove incorporates sensors and novel data fusion algorithms to give precise information in real time regarding hand biomechanics, position and movement.
Head of Tyndall’s Wireless Sensor Networks group, Dr Brendan O'Flynn, commented: “the development of this technology will enable a seamless interface between the wearer and the Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality world which is increasingly part of our daily life, not just in the consumer and gaming communities, but also in the factories of the future, where it can be used as a training tool. Another application deals with surgical training where the haptic glove bridges the gap between real and virtual for simulated training for the current and next generation of physicians.”
Director of Innovation at TSSG, Kevin Doolin congratulated the team and their work as a joint effort in bringing this project to life, by saying “The Smart Glove is a clear example of how collaboration between experts in both hardware and software can lead to game-changing products being developed by Irish R&D Institutes. The Smart Glove is a key technology enabler unlocking the ability to create truly immersive VR experiences across a variety of sectors and is really making an impact with some of the largest technology companies.”
Sponsored by the Technology Ireland Innovation Forum, the Outstanding Academic Achievement award recognises an academic institution, academic department or individual for outstanding contribution to the software sector. The award criteria includes the level of innovation demonstrated as well as the level of engagement with industry on direction of research, possible commercial viability and actual commercial application.
About Tyndall
Tyndall National Institute is a leading European research centre in integrated ICT (Information and Communications Technology) hardware and systems. Central to Tyndall’s mission is delivering economic impact through research excellence. We work with industry and academia to transform research into products in our core market areas of agri-food, communications, energy, environment and health.
As the national institute for photonics and micro/nanoelectronics, Tyndall, at University College Cork, employs over 500 researchers, engineers and support staff, with a cohort of 120 full-time graduate students. Together we generated over 270 peer-reviewed publications in 2016.
About TSSG
TSSG is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for ICT research and innovation. We carry out a wide spectrum of industry-informed research in Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), particularly technologies enabling communications and information services.
Our four key prioritised technical Research areas include Mobile Platforms and Services, Data Analytics and Social computing, Adaptive Networks and services, Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR). We create economic impact by translating our knowledge base and innovation into leading edge products and services by continuing our engagement with industry in collaborative R&D, knowledge generation and transfer.
Over the past five years, TSSG has delivered innovative solutions to over 210 start-ups based in Ireland and has worked extensively with multinationals such as IBM and Cisco through its world class research programmes, such as the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Connect Centre. TSSG has also created 14 spin out companies in the South East including the award winning FeedHenry, a groundbreaking mobile cloud platform company (acquired by RedHat NYSE: RHT in 2014 for €65 million), and KodaCall a new ‘Click to Call’ Technology.