How Lunar Design Made PC Games More Tactile

Here's a trick question (or two): How do you design a consumer-electronics device that has no precedent in the marketplace? Say, a miniature robot that can be used by both players of entertainment PC games and doctors? In other words, a controller for on-screen simulations, from shoot-'em-up war scenes to surgical practice sessions.

And what if you're challenged to design this mini-robot so that it can also provide a sense of 3D touch and texture, such as moving through liquid or passing over bumps? Finally, what if your last task as a designer was to ensure that this ultra-sophisticated game controller could be made from materials and mechanisms so affordable that the device would cost approximately $200, qualifying it as a mass-market item?

This is exactly the challenge that the design team at Bay Area-based Lunar Design faced when creating the Falcon, a new type of haptic, or tactile, PC game controller that was released last week by Novint Technologies (NVNT), a maker of 3D touch products and a Lunar client.

Read More