Touch is the essential sense which differentiates the physical experience from a virtual experience. Sense of touch is what makes an experience feel real, unlike audio or video content. There’s a lot more to achieve for the digital world as manufacturers try to develop mixed reality. So far, engineers have built devices that delivered vibrations and haptic feedback to the users. VR-based devices are also leveraging vibrations to create a physical experience. Consumers expect that it is time for Digital Touch to surface as the next trend. Digital touch would empower users to access and touch anything from anywhere with the Internet of Senses.
Digital Touch For A Real-like Experience
VR devices are already implementing digital touch to create a next-generation consumer experience. These devices are currently leveraging movements, vibrations, or some physical feedback. MarioKart is one such example, where the VR game could shake the mock-up kart to create an impression of a moving vehicle. These technologies have been serving the purpose for a while. Now consumers expect more innovations to experience touch beyond the vibrational response.
It is expected that the Internet of Senses will allow the users to feel the object’s touch digitally. As such, one day, users will be able to handle any item over the internet as if it is real. 7 in 10 Users expect that one day they would feel the physical impact of sound on their earphones. Such an ability would create an experience similar to a live concert as the bass sounds feel physically on their chest.
Handful Of Applications Of Digital Touch
Here are some of the standard applications that will surface as digital touch evolves:
- Digital touch to items on a smartphone
Touching a smooth flat screen with no sense of physical feedback will be obsolete. Digital touch may enable users to feel the touch of different icons, on-screen buttons, or various transition effects.
- The nerve stimulation with wristbands
Consumers expect that a wristband will empower them to feel the sensation of touch digitally. These wristbands would leverage nerve stimulations for a realistic experience.
- Touch & feel of any items
Consumers hope that they could feel any item through the internet, including the grip of a ball to the skin of another person.
- Feeling weight & motions
Digital Touch will not be limited to contact. Users also expect to feel the weights along with motions in the virtual system with a digital touch.
- Movies and entertainment
Virtual touch can take the immersive experience forward from where it started with a 3D visual experience.
- Weather Forecast
Knowing the temperature reading is not enough. Users expect to experience the complete weather with a digital touch. Users will be able to feel the touch of wind, raindrops, or snowfall.
Pragmatic E-commerce Experience With Digital Touch
The E-commerce market has grown a lot in the last decade. A vast number of new consumers have joined the online market. However, the E-commerce experience has one big drawback compared to shopping physically. E-commerce lacks the ability for users to hold an item. Physical shopping allows buyers to feel products in their hands. Such assurance when making a purchase is game-changing. If digital touch can provide a real-like E-commerce experience, then it would be a major breakthrough. Customers would know what they are buying precisely with the sense of digital contact. Consumers would feel confident about purchases, and E-commerce sellers will make more sales. Enabling the sense of touch in E-commerce may eventually force retail shops to come online to survive. The Internet of Senses will bring many such novel concepts along with itself.
Final Touch
Digital touch will be affecting most industries and use cases. Sense of touch through the Internet seems like a tough to implement the concept. However, if done right, it will change the way of life. Such as people can digitally hug someone and feel their close ones. Any user may be able to read an ebook and get a feel of a physical book. In addition to that, Telemedicine can heavily benefit as doctors would be able to feel patients’ nerves. Applications for digital touch can be countless in any Internet use. The next decade will witness a lot of innovations and advancements. Digital touch will play an essential part as the Internet of Things comes into existence.
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