Rice team wins IEEE award for VR haptic bracelet

Team WRIST (Wearable Radial Interface for Sensory hapTic feedback), includes students from mechanical engineering and electrical and computer engineering.

Their winning device is a lightweight, modular bracelet capable of delivering two forms of tactile feedback: a dynamic squeeze around the wrist and precise vibrations from multiple contact points. The system aims to make virtual reality (VR) and human-computer interaction more immersive, intuitive and accessible.

“We wanted to build something that could deliver high-quality haptic feedback without being bulky or cost-prohibitive,” said team member Xinghe (Mark) Chen. “There are some great commercial devices out there, but many are expensive, hard to repair and limited in their feedback capabilities. We saw an opportunity to do better.”

Form Factor

WRIST is said to integrate multiple feedback modalities - radial squeeze and vibrotactile stimulation - in a form factor that is compact, low-cost and user-friendly.

At its core is a DC motor connected to a radial spooling mechanism that tightens a soft, flexible band around the wrist, simulating the sensation of a squeeze. Simultaneously, five linear resonant actuators positioned evenly around the wristband provide finely controlled vibrations to simulate taps, pulses or dynamic movement cues.