NTT's 3D haptics gloves

This is cool -- a haptics technology from NTT that lets users "feel" 3D objects -- no goggles required! The New Scientist has a good overview, but the NTT website lists some interesting potential uses of the Tangible-3D Technology:

(1) Tangible-3D Museum
This technology allows visitors of the museum to handle items of exhibits with 3D images such as fossils. Multiple users can see and touch one exhibit at the same time by increasing the number of client at the recipient end.

(2) Tangible-3D Classroom
If this technology is applied for a remote classroom to make ceramics for example, the students can obtain a perceptible information of a work such as the real shape while the teacher shows the 3D image on the screen while explaining how to make it. This technology is effective to create a classroom to access from a location far away for areas that was impractical with the traditional system.

(3) Tangible 3D Video Conferencing
This technology enables an interactive communication on video conferences. The participants of a conference can shake hands or allow the other to touch an object located far away while meeting on the three-dimensional video conferencing. This is to achieve an advanced perceptible communication.

The technology is still in the prototype/demo phase (it was recently shown at the 15th Industrial Virtual Reality Expo & Conference 2007 in Tokyo). NTT says its developing "a two-way system that allows tactile impressions to be transmitted back and forth between multiple users." Some work clearly needs to be done on the hardware end, as well -- the glove shown in the New Scientist photo trails five heavy cables, and appears to have a sizable metal apparatus attached.