SenseGlove

SenseGlove is a Dutch technology company headquartered in Delft that develops and manufactures wearable hand-haptics hardware. Its products are designed to make interaction with virtual objects feel more physical by reproducing sensations such as resistance, stiffness, object size, impacts, button presses, and vibration. The company focuses primarily on professional and institutional applications rather than positioning its gloves as general-purpose consumer gaming accessories. The company began as a graduation project by Johannes Luijten and Gijs den Butter at Delft University of Technology. The original concept was associated with rehabilitation, particularly the development of a device that could potentially support stroke recovery. A working prototype was introduced in 2017. As the technology developed, the project moved toward broader applications in virtual reality, research, and telerobotics. SenseGlove's first force-feedback product, the SenseGlove DK1, used a hand-mounted exoskeleton to provide several forms of interaction feedback. Its capabilities included finger tracking, vibrotactile feedback, and force feedback. By applying resistance to the user's fingers, the system could communicate the apparent physical properties of virtual objects. The DK1 was used mainly in research and telerobotics contexts, where developers and institutions needed a way to study or control interactions with simulated or remote environments. In 2021, SenseGlove announced the Nova, a more compact and wireless haptic glove designed particularly for virtual-reality training. Compared with the DK1, Nova was intended to be easier to deploy in practical training environments. Its force-feedback system uses magnetic friction brakes to create resistance, while vibrotactile feedback can represent events such as button clicks, impacts, and vibrations. The company has identified automotive, aviation, defense, healthcare, and research as important application areas for its technology. SenseGlove's visibility increased through demonstrations, independent technology coverage, and projects involving advanced telepresence and avatar systems. In 2022, a project using the DK1 won the Ana Avatar XPrize, an achievement that associated the product with research into remote embodiment and avatar interaction. That same year, technology commentator Marques Brownlee reviewed SenseGlove and praised the underlying technology, while CNET testing highlighted the potential of the system but noted that haptic gloves were not yet common in home virtual-reality setups. In May 2023, SenseGlove announced Nova 2, the second generation of its Nova platform. Nova 2 adds active contact feedback in the palm to the force-feedback and vibrotactile functions already offered by the earlier model. The company presents this capability as a way to make virtual objects feel more physically present in the user's hand. The product is intended for virtual training, research, and social multiplayer interactions. Overall, SenseGlove's positioning centers on professional-grade hand interaction hardware for immersive simulation, skills training, human-computer interaction research, and remote-operation scenarios.

SenseGlove originated as a graduation project undertaken by Johannes Luijten and Gijs den Butter at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The initial direction included the possibility of creating a rehabilitation device for stroke victims. This early focus placed the project at the intersection of wearable technology, human movement, and computer-mediated interaction rather than conventional consumer electronics. A working prototype appeared in 2017. The project subsequently developed into a company focused on haptic interfaces for virtual reality, augmented reality, research, and remote-operation use cases. Its central technical objective was to reproduce aspects of physical manipulation when a user handles virtual objects. In addition to tracking finger movement, the system could apply resistance and vibration so that virtual objects conveyed properties such as size, stiffness, impact, and button activation. The first major product was SenseGlove DK1, a hand exoskeleton incorporating finger tracking, vibrotactile feedback, and force feedback. The product was used mainly in research and telerobotics. Its exoskeleton format allowed the hardware to provide physical resistance at the fingers, helping users distinguish between different virtual interactions. This made the DK1 relevant to experimental work involving simulated environments and remote robotic control. In 2021, SenseGlove announced Nova, a new generation of haptic gloves designed with virtual-reality training in mind. Nova was presented as more compact and wireless than DK1, supporting deployment in practical training environments where users need to move freely and equipment must be relatively easy to put on and operate. Its force-feedback mechanism uses magnetic friction brakes, while its vibrotactile system can communicate clicks, impacts, and other tactile events. The company's applications have included enterprise training and research across automotive, aviation, defense, healthcare, and related fields. SenseGlove has therefore been positioned primarily as a business-to-business and institutional technology provider. Its products are intended to improve the realism and instructional value of simulated tasks, rather than merely adding entertainment effects to consumer virtual-reality experiences. In 2022, SenseGlove DK1 was used in a project that won the Ana Avatar XPrize. The association with that competition helped demonstrate the relevance of force-feedback gloves to avatar systems and remote-presence research. Independent technology coverage also brought wider attention to the company. Marques Brownlee reviewed SenseGlove in 2022 and expressed approval of the technology, while CNET's testing suggested that the hardware was promising but that haptic gloves had not yet become standard equipment in home virtual-reality systems. In May 2023, SenseGlove announced Nova 2. The second-generation product retained the earlier platform's force-feedback and vibrotactile functions while adding active contact feedback in the palm. This feature is intended to make virtual objects feel more tangible inside the hand, improving realism in training, research, and social multiplayer environments. The available public history presents SenseGlove as an active Dutch haptics company whose development has progressed from a university rehabilitation concept to specialized hardware for immersive simulation and professional virtual interaction.

• 2023

  Nova 2 announced

  [1]SenseGloveen.wikipedia.org

  SenseGlove announced Nova 2 with active palm contact feedback added to the platform's force-feedback and vibrotactile functions.

• 2022

  DK1 used in an Ana Avatar XPrize-winning project

  [1]SenseGloveen.wikipedia.org

  A project using SenseGlove DK1 won the Ana Avatar XPrize, linking the product to advanced avatar and remote-presence research.

• 2021

  Nova announced

  [1]SenseGloveen.wikipedia.org

  SenseGlove announced Nova, a more compact and wireless haptic glove aimed primarily at virtual-reality training.

• 2017

  Working haptic-glove prototype introduced

  [1]SenseGloveen.wikipedia.org

  A working prototype emerged from the founders' Delft University of Technology graduation project, which had initially included rehabilitation applications for stroke victims.

Professional and enterprise-focused immersive-interaction technology, combining finger tracking, force feedback, vibrotactile feedback, and active contact feedback for realistic virtual-object manipulation.

• Force-feedback research glove

  SenseGlove DK1

  SenseGlove DK1 is the company's first major force-feedback glove and is built as a hand exoskeleton. It combines finger tracking with vibrotactile and force feedback, allowing users to receive physical resistance and tactile signals while interacting with virtual objects. The product was primarily used in research and telerobotics applications, where controlled hand feedback can support experiments involving simulated manipulation, remote systems, and immersive interfaces.

• Wireless haptic glove · 2021

  SenseGlove Nova

  SenseGlove Nova is a wireless haptic glove designed especially for virtual-reality training. It is more compact than the DK1 and uses magnetic friction brakes to provide resistance through force feedback. Vibrotactile feedback can represent events including button presses, impacts, and vibrations. The system is intended for professional simulation and training contexts, including applications in automotive, aviation, defense, healthcare, and research.

• Second-generation wireless haptic glove · 2023

  SenseGlove Nova 2

  Nova 2 is the second generation of SenseGlove's Nova platform. Alongside force feedback and vibrotactile feedback, it adds active contact feedback in the palm. The palm function is intended to create a more convincing physical sensation when users hold or encounter virtual objects. SenseGlove has positioned the product for virtual training, research, and social multiplayer interaction.

• 2023

  Add palm contact feedback with Nova 2Generation change

  Background

  SenseGlove's earlier Nova platform already provided resistance through force feedback and tactile signals through vibration, but the company sought to increase the sense of physical contact.

  Action taken

  SenseGlove announced Nova 2 with active contact feedback in the palm, in addition to the existing force-feedback and vibrotactile systems.

  Aftermath

  The new feature was intended to improve realism for virtual training, research, and social multiplayer interactions.

  Source

• 2021

  Move from the DK1 exoskeleton to the Nova wireless platformProduct launch

  Background

  The DK1 was mainly used in research and telerobotics, while SenseGlove sought a more compact and deployable product for virtual-reality training.

  Action taken

  The company announced Nova as a redesigned wireless haptic glove with force-feedback and vibrotactile capabilities.

  Aftermath

  Nova broadened the company's stated focus toward enterprise training and other practical professional applications.

  Source

1. 1SenseGloveen.wikipedia.org