Provider of realistic haptic technology for virtual reality controls HaptX Inc. announced today it has closed a funding round for $12 million from existing investors NetEase and Amit Kapur of Dawn Patrol Ventures.

The company also announced a partnership with human-machine interface specialists Advanced Input Systems. Funding from the Series A round will be used to enhance the next generation of HaptX Gloves produced by the company, claimed to be the world’s most realistic haptic glove controllers for VR and robotics.

“Over the past year, we’ve had dozens of world-class companies successfully pilot our HaptX Gloves Development Kit,” said Jake Rubin, Hapt’s founder and chief executive. “With this foundational strategic partnership and fresh capital, we’re well-positioned to scale up production to meet rapidly growing demand.”

With HaptX gloves, designers can have greatly increased control over VR environments and simulations in a way that directly mimics human interaction with the world. The gloves not only translate finger and hand gestures into the virtual environment but also can translate “touch” based experience back to the hands using what is called haptic feedback.

With haptic feedback, a VR user can “feel” an object displayed in the virtual world or sense a sort of force-feedback when encountering a virtual obstacle. This extra sense added to audio and visual can greatly increase human awareness of virtual environments and assist with immersion.

HaptX will also use its partnership with Advanced Input Systems as a springboard to innovate on the next generation of HaptX Gloves taking into account the company’s 40 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing expertise for human-machine interface products.

AIS has been working on the vanguard of human-machine interfaces for medical, industrial, commercial, military and gaming for its entire lifecycle. As part of this comprehensive partnership, AIS will bring its specialty to bear for product development, manufacturing and go-to-market collaboration with HaptX.

“HaptX and Advanced Input Systems are overcoming a long-standing technology gap of seamlessly connecting the physical world to the virtual world,” said Eric Ballew, president of Advanced Input Systems. “The ability of the HaptX solution to provide realistic touch feedback in wearable haptic devices bridges this gap, accelerating the adoption of VR products in enterprise applications.”

Enterprise customers are already putting HaptX Gloves to use in VR design, training and robotics.

Fundamental Surgery, a VR medical platform from FundamentalVR Ltd., integrated HaptX Gloves into its VR medical training platform earlier this year. The company also secured partnerships with the automaker Nissan and helped develop and launch haptic-enabled telerobot services with All Nippon Airways, Tangible Research and Shadow Robot Co.

This funding round brings the total funds raised by HaptX to $19 million. Alongside existing investors, the funding round was also joined by new investors Mason Avenue Investments, Taylor Frigon Capital Partners, Upheaval Investments, Votiv Capital, Keiretsu Forum and Keiretsu Capital.

HaptX will showcase its VR and robotics applications at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2020.

Photo: HaptX