A New Kind of Haptic Suit Brings Real Force to XR
By Ashlyn Lacovara
XRTC researchers Chris Harrison and Vivian Shen recently introduced Kinethreads, a new approach to haptic technology that brings a more complete sense of touch to XR.
When we touch something in the real world, we experience it in two ways. First, there’s tactile feedback—things like texture, vibration, and pressure. Second, there’s kinesthetic feedback—the feeling of weight, resistance, and force acting on our bodies.
Most XR devices today only handle the first category. Controllers, gloves, and even full-body suits mainly rely on vibration to simulate touch. While this works well for things like clicks, impacts, or surface textures, it falls short when trying to simulate real physical forces. You can “feel” something, but you can’t truly feel its weight, resistance, or pull.
That’s where this new system comes in.
Kinethreads is a new type of haptic suit designed to go beyond vibration. It can deliver both tactile feedback and real force-based sensations, making virtual experiences feel much more physical and grounded.
The suit is a network of small, motorized reels connected to the body using strings. These strings run through mechanisms like pulleys and capstans, allowing the system to pull, resist, or apply pressure in controlled ways.
This setup enables a few important advantages:
- The suit stays soft, flexible, and safe
- It’s relatively affordable (~$400)
- It’s lightweight (under 5 kg)
- You can put it on in under 30 seconds
- It runs for hours on battery power
- It supports full-body feedback, including independent limb control
- It delivers high-frequency vibration (up to 200 Hz)
- It can generate strong forces (up to 120 N)
Other systems, like rigid exoskeletons, can already produce strong force feedback—but they tend to be bulky, expensive, and difficult to wear. On the other hand, softer exosuits exist, but they’re usually designed for medical rehab or strength assistance, not immersive XR experiences.
Kinethreads takes a different approach. It’s built specifically for XR, with a focus on accessibility, usability, and immersion.
By combining vibration and force, the suit can recreate a wide range of physical sensations you’d expect in a virtual world, such as:
- The pull of centrifugal force during motion
- The feeling of increased gravity
- The weight of objects in your hands or on your body
- Compression or pressure against your body
- The impact of explosions or sudden forces
To demonstrate these capabilities, the system was tested in a series of interactive XR scenarios. These demos helped show not only what the suit can do, but also how users perceive and respond to these enhanced sensations.
Today’s haptic technology gives us a glimpse of touch—but it’s still missing a critical piece: real physical force. By combining tactile and kinesthetic feedback in a practical, wearable form, Kinethreads moves XR closer to truly immersive, physically believable experiences.