The concept of “Metaverse”, which has been popular since last year, has recently been included in the “Top Ten Internet Buzzwords 2021” of China Thinktanks. Everybody is talking about it and technology companies are trying to take a share of it.
What is the Metaverse? What does the Metaverse rely on to deliver a true experience?
According to the definition of Encyclopedia, the Metaverse refers to a virtual world that is linked to and created by scientific and technological means, and is mapped and interacted with the real world. It is essentially a virtualized and digitalized version of the real world.
That is to say, the key is to make users feel immersed in the virtual world. That “virtual reality” can only be “real” when visual, auditory, and haptic feelings are coordinated in a perfect way.
Regarding haptics, AAC Technologies announced its latest outcome on the afternoon of January 18 – the world’s first ultra-wide x-axis linear actuator CyberEngine, which will better bridge the virtual world and the real world in the Metaverse by truly endowing smart devices with a new soul of haptics and greatly improving the haptic experience of users.
It is reported that CyberEngine was independently developed by the RichTap® team under AAC Technologies. Taking 3 years from the initial concept to commercialization, CyberEngine was created with deliberate coordination across multiple teams and disciplines in AAC after going through a dozen times of solution modification and more than a hundred times of model change validation. Integrating an advanced hardware manufacturing technique with an accurate software algorithm tuning, the actuator presents excellence in both technology and artistry.
CyberEngine, both hardcore and artistic!
As introduced in the launch ceremony, CyberEngine features ultra-wide frequencies, ultra-strong vibration, outstanding power conservation, as well as ultra-quiet and ultra-comfortable performance. With its effective bandwidth of 50Hz – 500Hz, resonant frequency as low as 130Hz, power consumption as low as 0.12W, maximum vibratory magnitude up to 1.1Grms that is equivalent to a conventional x-axis linear actuator of 1.88Grms, it is an x-axis linear actuator that outperforms competitors in performance, parameters, and user experience, and will soon bring the market a revolutionary vibration experience.
Key factors affecting the human tactile experience include vibration frequency, vibration intensity, and resonant frequency. CyberEngine stands out in all three factors.
Ultra-wide frequency: from soft to rigid
Express and restore true haptics in multiple frequency bands
Relying on the algorithm tuning of RichTap®, the effective frequency bandwidth of CyberEngine ranges from 50Hz to 500Hz, making it the X-axis linear actuator on the market with the widest frequency band.
The range of frequency bands determines the richness of vibration effects. The same vibration intensity will deliver different tactile experiences at different frequencies. For example, the tactile impressions of breeze, ripples, and animal fur belong to ultra-low frequency bands, which can only be realized by using an ultra-wide actuator that can dive deep enough.
Similarly, different actuator frequency bands are required to express different vibration effects in different scenarios, no matter whether it is for various UI effects on smartphones or for games or applications. The excellent effective bandwidth of CyberEngine can help terminal manufacturers achieve various effects from ultra-low frequencies to ultra-high frequencies, and truly create a high-quality vibration experience full of stories and tactile aesthetics.
Ultra-strong vibration: supremely powerful and large
Multiple vibration intensity levels to create a sense of vibration hierarchy
CyberEngine has a volume of 560mm³, the largest in the Android market, and improved energy density due to the upgrade of its structural parts. Its stable vibratory magnitude reaches up to 1.1Grms, which is equivalent to a conventional X-axis linear actuator of 1.88Grms and three times higher than that of first-generation X-axis linear actuators.
The ultra-strong vibration is not just about the vibration intensity. Since human bodies can feel different levels of vibration intensity, the larger the intensity range, the more levels of vibration users can experience. This also means the higher the vibratory magnitude, the more capable the actuator is of restoring complicated scenes. Therefore, CyberEngine breaks the limit of devices usable by the first-generation X-axis linear actuators and can be applied in not only mobile phones but also joysticks.
Ultra-comfortable: resonant frequency F0 = 130Hz
This is probably the most comfortable resonant frequency for human bodies
Every linear actuator model is born with a fixed hardware parameter F0, which describes the resonant frequency of the spring inside the actuator. The larger the deviation from this resonant frequency, the greater the vibration attenuation. The original actuators in the industry have a resonant frequency F0 of 235Hz. This frequency is based on the theory that human hands are the most sensitive to external signals at 235Hz. But it does not mean that the frequency is the most comfortable frequency for the human body.
After unceasing testing and validation, it is generally believed in the entire haptics industry that F0 = 130Hz is the most comfortable frequency for the human body and the most scientifically reasonable design, which can effectively guarantee vibration intensity at low frequencies. After repeated modifications, the RichTap® team finally achieved the resonant frequency of 130Hz for this actuator, which is the first X-axis linear actuator on Android featuring F0 = 130Hz.
Apart from this, CyberEngine also has other impressive features. RichTap® enables the vibration start/stop time to be as low as 5ms and the noise as low as 33dBA. The start/stop action happens instantaneously after the instruction is given. Furthermore, in order to reduce the burden on mobile phones and ensure their future adaptability to low-powered joysticks, the actuator guarantees a power as low as 0.12W during the design and production process, saving more power, bringing the vibration feature to its original purpose, and making it truly burden-free.
CyberEngine, connecting the virtual world with the real world!
Compared with first-generation X-axis linear actuators, the ultra-wide X-axis linear actuator CyberEngine maximizes the advantages brought by its outstanding parameters of limited bandwidth, vibratory magnitude, and resonant frequency; expands the applications of actuators; and greatly increases the needs for diversified vibration applications. It can be used not only in smartphone devices, but also in smart watches, tablets, smart cars, smart glasses, joysticks, VR/AR controllers, and even bone conduction earphones, promoting wider applications of the haptic technology.
Meanwhile, the ultra-wide X-axis linear actuator CyberEngine will also expand the content ecosystem of haptics, allowing haptics to not only reflect vibration, but also convey the hardness and weight of objects. It will bring more imagination and possibilities to the haptic design and make it more real. In the future, the tactile feel in the multidimensional virtual space of the Metaverse will deliver great tactile experience in all scenarios.