How the sense of touch will transform the digital communication

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Fulu is the first haptic interface capable of bring a sense of touch to digital communication and experience. A real tech revolution!

Revolution is female: Fulu is designed by the Japanese architect and designer Ryo Tada, recently graduated from the Royal College of Art and Imperial College in London.

In Japanese Fulu means “tangible”, it is also phonetically close to “full”, as it creates a full touch experience. The project offers the possibility to have haptic experience also in digital communication.
Imagine the possibility of “touching” from distance, feeling a material, sensations and textures: Fulu is truly a project that can change the way we communicate.

I remember my dad when he used to say “I will buy a mobile phone only when I could call you and tell you: look where I am”. It sounded like science fiction, but now sending photos and making video calls is the way we communicate in our daily lives and we take it for granted. Imagine a future where you can call someone and make them feel the sensation of a child’s smooth skin, touch the sand of the beach, the fur of the dog, the softness of a fabric… This future does not seem so far.

There are gloves for augmented reality experiences but Fulu is a completely different technology: it is a very small silicone device fingernail-mounted, it can be easily carry around in your pocket and it connects to smartphones via bluetooth. Simple. Another important detail: haptic interfaces like gloves offer an immersive experience shutting out the reality, Fulu does not isolate from the physical environment, on the contrary, it connects the reality with the digital experience.

Currently digital communication is based on audio and video. Think about the change that the sense of touch can bring. Imagine the online shopping experience: how many times have you wondered “what will the fabric be like?”, this small device can truly revolutionize the way we communicate.