Virtual reality experience gets closer to real thing
Named after ‘Ajna’, the sixth chakra or the third eye which activates ‘intuitive vision’, AjnaLens is a homegrown company making immersive augmented, virtual and mixed reality devices and software solutions for defence, enterprise and skilling sectors. Recently, this Mumbai-based hardware and software company launched haptic gloves, named AjnaSparsh, made fully in India. The gloves allow the user to intuitively interact with virtual objects in the Metaverse. The gloves are offered as a training tool along with the AjnaXR Station 2.0. Corporate giants like Vedanta are adopting this technology to train and upskill their workforce for better results.
“Every complex skill comes with a set of tools that simplify the learning process. Similar is the case with VR training. Attaching sensors on industry-graded tools does offer a sense of realism in the virtual world, but it limits the scalability of the system. This inspired us to create AjnaSparsh, a pair of haptic gloves that allow users to touch, hold and feel virtual objects in the Metaverse as they would in the real world,” said Abhishek Tomar, co-founder & CTO, AjnaLens. “The right amount of pressure is induced on parts of the hand that are touching the virtual object, simulating the feeling of real touch. This leads to better hand, eye and brain coordination and sharpens cognitive skills for better performance.”
AjnaSparsh is comfortable and lightweight enough to wear for an extended period. Its embedded sensors allow force feedback and highly accurate motion tracking. Be it pressing a button, gripping a tool or throwing a ball, the gloves can replicate exact sensations in the virtual world. “We are continuously working to upgrade the gloves and add new features like interaction with holographic avatars,” he added.
AjnaLens has started pairing the haptic gloves with VR training modules like Mining to impart close to realistic training. Unlike controllers, haptic gloves take the VR experience to a new level. This strengthens a trainee’s muscle memory, and improves skill proficiency. The firm aims to train 50,000+ students through AjnaSparsh by the end of the year.