This sonar-equipped glove lets you "feel" distant underwater objects

[Shawn Knight]

A pair of Ph.D. candidates from Japan's Tsukuba University have created a special glove that allows the wearer to "feel" objects underwater without actually making contact with them.

The gloves, known as IrukaTact, use sonar to detect nearby objects and small motors on the tips of the index, middle and ring fingers to create haptic feedback. The haptic response - like the tiny vibrations Android smartphones give off as you type - intensify as the wearer gets closer to an object.

For those curious, IrukaTact is a mixture of the word "tactile" and iruka, the Japanese word for dolphin. One would assume that the inspiration for the glove and the name choice originates from dolphins' use of echolocation but I digress.

Its creators, Aisen Caro Chacin and Takeshi Ozu, believe the glove could one day be used in rescue operations such as floods. Being able to "see" what's under muddy or otherwise murky water without actually touching it could be an incredibly useful asset to rescue workers. The glove has a limited range of about two feet although its creators say that can be expanded if needed.

Rather than cash in on their creation, the Ph.D. candidates are offering up their design to the public via this 3D printing template. As it turns out, IrukaTact was constructed using off-the-shelf items like an Arduino Pro Mini hobby board and a sonar sensor from MaxBotix.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/63300-sonar-equipped-glove-you-feel-distant-underwater-objects.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Sooooooooo ..... grasping here to try to figure out exactly what this will be good for. Picking one's nose while diving?

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Sooooooooo ..... grasping here to try to figure out exactly what this will be good for. Picking one's nose while diving?

How about helping police divers trying to find a body wearing cement shoes?... It could come in handy.

 

[captaincranky]

Sooooooooo ..... grasping here to try to figure out exactly what this will be good for. Picking one's nose while diving?

Well, I think it would make finding your nose much easier. But you're going to have to take it off, it you want to get down to some serious booger extraction.... Or possibly, find your nose with the glove, thern pick it with the other hand.

OTOH, ultrasound has been used for cleaning purposes for decades. So maybe you could just insert the transducer into your nose hole, then peg the transmitter on 11!

 

[Uncle Al]

How about helping police divers trying to find a body wearing cement shoes?... It could come in handy.

Since bodys tend to float after internal gases build up, cement shoes would keep the body in a "standing" position, easily found even in murky water. Now, if the bottom is covered in 3' of silt and the body is relatively new or very old to the water, it certainly could help .... but not nearly as much fun as picking ones nose under water!

 

[captaincranky]

Now, if the bottom is covered in 3' of silt and the body is relatively new or very old to the water, it certainly could help .... but not nearly as much fun as picking ones nose under water!

Since we're dealing with nasal passages underwater, keep in mind that water, particularly salt water, tends to soften dried mucous formations. So basically, if you're under long enough, those pesky boogers should fall out by themselves...(y)

That nasty looking glove has opened up old emotional wounds for me. I think that's the same thing those pesky aliens were wearing when they abducted and examined me....