February 11, 2025 • 39 mins
Guido Gioioso, the CEO of WEART, shares insights on their innovative haptic technology in this engaging discussion. The conversation centers on how Weart's devices are redefining training in virtual and augmented reality. Guido explains how their technology allows users to experience realistic sensations such as temperature, texture, and pressure, which enhances the training process.
Guido emphasizes the importance of immersion, noting that the ability to feel these sensations can lead to better learning outcomes in various fields, particularly hospitality and industrial training. The episode also touches on the upcoming MURTEC conference where Magicgate will present more about these advancements, showcasing the potential for haptic technology to revolutionize the way we interact with virtual environments. Listeners are encouraged to explore this cutting-edge technology and consider its applications in their own fields.
Takeaways:
- Guido Gioioso discusses the unique features of WEART's Haptics technology, emphasizing the three tactile sensations it provides: contact force, temperature, and texture rendering. This combination enhances immersion in VR and AR experiences.
- Listeners are encouraged to attend the upcoming MURTEC conference in Las Vegas to learn more about restaurant technology trends and participate in discussions about streamlining procurement processes using RTN standards.
- Guido shares insights on the challenges faced in scaling WEART, including the need for user-friendly designs and overcoming skepticism from businesses about the necessity of haptic technology in VR experiences.
- The podcast highlights the importance of emotional engagement in training simulations, where haptic feedback can significantly enhance the realism of virtual experiences for hospitality and other sectors.
- Listeners are invited to explore WEART's website and social media for more information on their haptic devices and to participate in demos at the MURTEC conference, showcasing cutting-edge technology in action.
Links Referenced in This Episode:
How To Contact Me
- Website
- https://SkipKimpel.com (all archived shows and show notes will be posted here)
- https://magicgate.com
- Instagram:
- https://instagram.com/skipkimpel
- https://www.instagram.com/magicgatetech/
- X (Twitter):
- https://twitter.com/skipkimpel
- https://x.com/magicgatetech
- Facebook:
- https://www.facebook.com/skipkimpel1/
- https://www.facebook.com/magicgatetech
- LinkedIn:
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is the Tech Chef Podcast.
This is episode number 88February 11, 2025 this show is powered
by Growth AdvisorsInternational Network where travel
and hospitality companies cometo grow.
For more information pleasevisit gainadvisors.com hi.
(00:21):
I'm Guido Gijoso, CEO ofWeart, and you are listening to Scape
on the Tech Chef Podcast.
How about a taste test ofrestaurant technology?
Drive thru or curbside?
Mobile apps or AI?
It's all on the menu.
(00:42):
Cook it up for the date.
It's a recipe for success.
You're in good hands with theTech Chef.
Make a plan to be your best.
Strategize with the Tech Chefwelcome back to another episode of
the Tech Chef.
(01:02):
If you're a returninglistener, we appreciate you tuning
in again.
And if you're new here, welcome.
You've just found your go tosource for all things hospitality,
technology and strategy.
Our mission?
It's really quite simple tohelp you make your organization more
profitable, efficient and mostimportantly, future ready.
So if you haven't already, besure to subscribe on your favorite
(01:25):
podcast platform.
You don't want to miss asingle episode.
Today is no different than anyother show that we do as we're diving
into some game changingrestaurant tech that is changing
the industry.
Each week our special guestwill share how they're reshaping
the industry one bit and byteat a time.
Whether you're a seasoned proor just dipping your toes into the
(01:48):
tech world, this episode hassomething for everyone.
You might just walk away withfresh, bold new ideas that until
recently seem like a distant future.
In just a few weeks, industryleaders and innovators will convene
in Las Vegas for the firstmajor restaurant technology conference
of the year, Mirtech.
This event is always ahighlight, but this year promises
(02:12):
to be especially exciting.
I am honored to take the stagealongside Christopher Siebes, renowned
restaurant technologystrategist and CEO, as well as Brian
Myers, the CIO for CityBarbecue, for a discussion on how
to streamline RFPs with RTN standards.
Together, we will provide astep by step guide to best practices
(02:34):
for creating more efficient,transparent and effective RFPs.
Leveraging the restaurantTechnology Network Standards, this
session is designed to empowerboth restaurant operators and technology
providers, offering valuableinsights that will enhance your procurement
process and strategic decision making.
Attendees will walk away withactionable takeaways to implement
(02:58):
within their organizations.
We strongly encourage vendorsto join as well as understanding
and incorporating RTN's datastandards into your products is crucial
for staying ahead in theevolving restaurant technology landscape.
We look forward to an engagingand impactful discussion.
We'll see you at Mirtech.
(03:19):
Now let's get into today'sepisode and explore how technology
is redefining the hospitality landscape.
Guido Joyoso, co founder andCEO of Weart, joins us to discuss
their groundbreaking Hapticstechnology which is redefining the
way people experience VR andAR training.
(03:39):
As one of the most innovativesolutions in the market, this technology
enhances immersion like never before.
Through a strategicpartnership with Magic Gate, you
now have the opportunity toexplore and integrate this cutting
edge solution into your operations.
Guido brings a distinguishedbackground in technology, holding
(04:00):
a degree in computerengineering and a PhD in robotics
and Automation from theUniversity of siena.
With over 20 peer reviewedpublications across top scientific
journals, books and conferenceproceedings, his research has focused
on human inspired roboticmanipulation and haptics.
(04:21):
Today, he joins us here toshare insights on Weird, a revolutionary
series of wearable andportable haptic devices designed
to elevate virtual andaugmented reality experiences.
Time to step outside yourcomfort zone and learn about a technology
most of you have not experienced.
Who's ready?
(04:41):
I am very excited to be ableto introduce you to this cutting
edge technology.
Enjoy joining the Tech Chefpodcast today.
We are excited for a strategicpartner and a big announcement here
at Magic 8.
Mr.
Guido Gioso, CEO of WeartHaptics, joins us from Milan, Italy.
(05:04):
Good morning, Guido.
Hi everyone.
Good morning, Guido.
I am so excited for this show today.
We have a bunch ofannouncements over the next 30 days,
but this one is near and dearto me because I found this product
at a show last year at awe.
And I'll tell you what, I wasblown away by the technology.
(05:27):
We're going to have to dig alittle deeper because some of my
audience doesn't know abouthaptics and things like that.
So this should be an excitingand informative show.
Let's start off though.
Tell us a little bit aboutyour background and what led you
to found weart.
Yeah, thank you for the question.
Thank you for your words, Skip.
So I started as a researcherafter my university path at the University
(05:51):
of Siena, which is a smalltown in, in Tuscany here in Italy.
I started after the masterdegree, I started a PhD in robotics
in the lab in the Robotics andautomation lab of the University
of Siena.
And this small lab is smallbut very well known in the app, in
the robotics community to behighly focused on the deep knowledge
(06:14):
of the human hand.
And, and this is like atradition in that university and
the professor that, that led,that that is leading this, this lab,
Professor Pratikitz, so thatnow is also with me in we art started
this, this research pathhighly focusing on the knowledge
(06:35):
of the human hand and, andfrom this deep knowledge that we
built, also collaborating withneuroscientists and so on.
Some of the research partsstarted like control of robotic hands,
design of robo, design ofwearable haptic devices, devices
that can be worn by a user andthat are small robotics components
(06:57):
that can apply on the userskin, on the user body in general,
a combination of tactile sensations.
We started from forces, okay.
Devices that can apply forcesduring the interaction with a virtual
content, connected with thevirtual content and applying on the
user skin forces.
And then we come, we addedother sensations that now we integrate
(07:20):
in our products.
So in that experience, in thatfour years of PhD and so on, we started
working on these prototypesthat now are the grandfathers, let's
say of the products that, thatwe are bringing on the market.
Now I'm going to jump the gunhere a little bit just because I,
I'm over energetic about your product.
(07:40):
I had the chance obviously toexperience your product firsthand.
Can you tell us a little bitabout what makes your product unique
in the haptics world?
Because I think some peopleare from, maybe familiar with the
word haptics.
You know, they have hapticsbuilt into your, your iPhone where
it buzzes and you feel alittle simulation so that you, you
have a sense of touch but youtake things to the next level.
(08:03):
Talk about some of thoseunique features.
Yeah, so yeah, you're right.
Most a lot of people now from,I don't know, no many years, but
thanks to Apple thatintroduces the taptic engine in their,
in their devices, we are,people have started to be, to be
familiar with this word haptics.
But unfortunately most of thetimes we think that haptics means
(08:26):
vibrations and this is not true.
Haptics is a Greek word thatrefers to the contact and refers
in general to the sense of touch.
And what happens when we touchan object or we grasp an object.
It doesn't vibrate when wetouch an object.
Typically we feel the contactswith an object through what we call
(08:47):
skin indentation.
So it's basically thecompression of our skin, of the skin
of our, of the contact pointthat goes in contact with the object
and, and feels the, the, thepresence of the object through a
force.
Okay, so this is the firstthing we aim at replicating with
our devices a contact forcethat is, that acts at the cutaneous
(09:10):
happen when I touch the object.
The second thing I feel is its temperature.
And this is the second thingwe are able to replicate with our
wearable devices, thetemperature of the object.
Then sometimes I feelvibration, but I feel vibrations
mainly when I try, when Istart exploring the surface of the
object and feeling theroughness of the object.
(09:31):
And this is what, this is thethird sensation that we integrate
the, the texture rendering thesurface properties of the object
that are rendered through vibration.
So these three, three tactilesensations, again forces, textures
and thermal feedback are forus like the rgb if we want for the
(09:53):
sense of touch, you know,combining three channels, we can
render with this combinationany tactile image.
This is what we call haptics.
And the uniqueness of thetechnology that we are bringing,
the products that are bringingon the market is on the presence
of three sensations.
This is the only technology inthe market that can combine three
(10:14):
tactile sensations on the user skin.
And the temperature itself isa novelty.
No one is able to renderthermal feedback, which is very important
to complete the image, let'ssay the optic image.
Well, once again jumping thegun here a little bit.
But that's what intrigued meabout your product.
Not only the being able topick up an object and really feel
it in your hands, but touchinga surface and feeling the difference
(10:36):
between a smooth surface and arough surface.
But the thermals, that's whatgot me being able to.
And I obviously I was walkingin there with the inspiration of
hospitality and maybe acooking school or a restaurant or
a chef learning how to cook.
Just imagine being able to dovirtual training and if you pick
(10:57):
up a hot pan, you are going tofeel the heat.
If you stick your hand in coldwater, you are going to feel the
coolness that is mind blowing.
And when you're fullyimmersive and you experience this,
it is a whole different worldand a whole different sensation.
What you've created is very unique.
Yeah, the temperature feelingis very, very important.
(11:21):
At the beginning actually weart was like labeled as the one of
the temperature.
But it's not like it's notonly temperature because as I said
we can provide the contactforce, the surfaces and so on.
And even if you're, if in yourapplication you don't require the
temperature, apparently youcan use the devices to get the other
(11:44):
two sensations.
But the nice thing of thetemperature is this.
First of all, in thesesituations, if you want to simulate
something, for instance fortraining and you want to train people
on the safety aspects of aprocedure like being able not to
touch something that can behot or something like that, it's
(12:07):
important.
Is important to createemotional engagement of the user
with the content because it's.
The temperature completes, youknow, like the image, the tactile
image we want to display andmake you believe that you are really
immersed in that environment.
And finally, the role of thetemperature is important for material
(12:28):
discrimination.
I said that we can rendermaterials thanks to vibrations, but
it's not only vibration,because the difference between a
metal part and a plastic partor a marble or wood or and so on,
pass not only through thedifference in texture, but also the
difference in the thermalbehavior of that material.
So the combination is the key.
(12:49):
Yeah, yeah, I never thoughtabout that.
If you pass your hand over amarble countertop, it is cooler than
just a wooden.
Wooden countertop, for instance.
Yeah.
And if you feel it in VR, thenyou really believe that you're touching
marble.
Otherwise you are touchingsomething that resemble marble if
you only perceive vibrationsand surface properties.
(13:11):
Well, Magic Gate, as we'redeveloping this whole VR training
and all these solutions forthe hospitality industry, I think
one of the most importantthings is, you know, we've experienced,
you know, if you've been inany type of VR environment before,
if you get rid of thecontrollers and you have hand controls
out there, there you see yourcontrol, your hands.
(13:33):
But, you know, when you graban object, you're trying to guess
where to grab.
This is a whole different story.
When you grab an object, youfeel that you've grabbed that object,
and there's no doubt about itin your mind that you're actually
performing that function.
And this goes way beyondhospitality, obviously.
I deal with a company over inSpain that they do industrial simulations.
(13:54):
Oh, my goodness, what anamazing opportunity this would be
for them to integrate thesedevices into their training programs.
Haptics, I always say that whyyou are.
You want to add haptics to a simulation.
This is the first questionthat, for instance, our investors
told us, you know, like, okay,but people.
Why people would need that?
For two reasons.
(14:15):
The re.
The role of optics in VR playand, and, and, and let's let me say,
contribute in two ways toenrich the experience in terms of
realism and in terms, in termsof engagement.
And for instance, in theindustrial training, you don't need
people to be emotionally involved.
You need the simulation to be realistic.
(14:37):
So if you grasp an object andyou don't feel it, this is way different
from what will be the realexperience on the.
On the field, on the real field.
So thanks to optics, we canincrease the level of realism on
the other side.
For instance, in Hospitality.
If you want to simulatesomething, if you want to bring people
virtually in a location thatis far away or in an environment
(15:01):
that can let people dreamabout that stuff, for instance.
In that case, the, theemotional engagement is everything
and haptics can being inbuilding what in literature is called
suspension of disbelief.
If you are immersive in anenvironment, you want to believe
(15:22):
that you are there, you know,and if you grasp an object and you
don't feel it, the dream is broken.
Suddenly the, the disbelief is broken.
Something is broken, likebecause, sorry, you, the disbelief
is not working because thefact that you, you grasp an object,
you in reality, you feel it.
So if I, if I go there, Igrasp it, I don't feel anything.
(15:44):
Suddenly my brain say, okay,this is a game.
I'm not really there.
And while haptics cancontribute in keeping, keeping the
illusion, keeping the illusionalive, and, and in literature, also
in theater or while writingbooks, this is called the suspension
of disbelief.
So your judgment of your brainis suspended for some, for some minutes
(16:05):
and you want to keep the dream.
Wow.
A lot of thought went intothis product, obviously.
So I'm going to take a stepback here.
The company name, We Art.
What.
What is, what does that mean?
How did that come to be?
Thank you.
You pronounce it correctly.
It is not trivial becausesometimes people doesn't catch the
(16:26):
right pronunciation, which isWe Art.
And We Art is pronounced likethat because the first reading of
the name is a wearablerobotics technology.
But there is like an insidejoke inside the name.
There is a second reading thatis We Art.
We wanted to keep the word,the word heart in, in the, in the
name because we believe thathaptics can represent a new tool
(16:52):
for people, for creative people.
And developers of VRapplications are creative people
to express themselves, likegiving them a new paintbrush with
new colors.
And for us, the colors are thetactile sensations that we can render.
So this is a creative tool.
This is something that peoplecan use to create novel form of arts
(17:14):
or to perceive in a novel way.
Standard or traditional formsof arts.
And for us, digital contentsare a novel form of art.
Let me ask you this, what wasyour initial inspiration behind we
are haptic technology and wasthere a specific moment or problem
that you were trying to solve for?
Yeah, haptic interfaces existsince like 70 or years, more like
(17:41):
40, 50 years ago, started topopulate labs, universities, hospitals.
Actually at the beginning theywere like very, very expensive big
robots that can interact withthe big robotic arms, that can interact
with the robot with the humanoperator and exchanging forces and
(18:05):
so on.
These devices was always foundin again, hospital slabs were never,
never found an application inthe real world, in the near market,
given their cost, complexity,the structure, the fact that they
should, they were alwaysconfined on a desk or in a specific
room and so on.
(18:25):
And we wanted to say, okay,this is amazing how we can bring
these devices, this potential,this technology out of the labs,
out of the hospitals.
We make, we need to make iteasier, we need to make it wearable,
we need to make it cheaper.
We need to bring at a wearablelevel or at a portable level, but
(18:47):
with small devices that can bethat people can and use in everyday
life.
We need to bring thispotential on devices that are completely
different, designed in adifferent way.
So we started moving from big3D mouses and big robots to small
thimbles or small rings.
And now we are making gloves,which is like the evolution of those
(19:09):
thimbles.
So do you see the day of AIand machine learning playing a role
in the evolution of haptics?
Yeah.
One of the main, you askingright now, how about the starting
point?
And one of the main, let's saybarriers that we have today to bring
haptics around to spreadhaptics is the content generation.
(19:32):
When you have a VR applicationtoday, what you typically do is to
HUD and you want to integratethe touch diver, for instance, our
glove.
What you typically do is toselect an object, a 3D object, and
set the properties, thetactile properties of these objects
that are manually assigned tothe object.
(19:54):
Okay, I want to say that thisis a wooden object.
This is the stiffness of theobject, this is the temperature of
that object.
Okay.
This process requires adevelopment effort which is very
limited thanks to the SDK thatwe try to make as friendly as possible.
Like few clicks, you don'tneed to write code.
But still there is somethingthat people that the developer needs
(20:16):
to do to integrate the optics.
What we are working on now isto use AI to directly and automatically
understand the tactileproperties of the objects, starting
from the images from the 3D models.
And this is what we that howthe AI can help in creating automatically
(20:36):
create the optic contentassociated with any digital experience
or digital content.
That's a great place to take abreak, Guido.
When we come back, let's talkabout some industry applications
and challenges and scaling ofhaptics and really the future of
haptics at weart.
So hang on everybody, we'll beright back and you don't want to
(20:59):
miss the Second half of the show.
Hey, since I have you here, ifyou're headed to Murtech in Vegas
this year, March 10th through12th, you gotta swing by Magic Gate's
experience zone.
We're talking next levelrestaurant tech, VR training that
actually works.
AR remote support that makestroubleshooting a breeze.
And some seriously cool datatools to keep your ops running smooth.
(21:23):
Plus you can mess around withfuturistic stuff like augmented reality,
virtual reality and haptic devices.
It's all hands on, no boringdemos, just straight up cool tech
that you need to see.
Come check it out.
Now that we're back, let'stalk about some industry applications.
Regarding haptic technology.
(21:43):
It has the potential acrossmultiple industries.
Gaming, training, healthcare,remote work.
What industries excite you the most?
Excite me the most?
I think it's, I mean our final target.
I think and for this kind oftechnology, the natural evolution
(22:04):
or the market where we see thebiggest potential is the entertainment
and gaming, which is bigmarket and, and where this technology
can really change the rule,the rules of the game.
But to go there we still needto work a bit and to arrive at gamers
houses, we need to builddevices that can be affordable for
(22:29):
them costing like few hundredsof euros or dollars, whatever, and
also solving the properproblem on the content generation.
So we are targeting that market.
But in the meantime, and thisis exciting for me, but in the meantime
we are adding a lot of valuein B2B applications, in application
designed for companies and inparticular on training.
(22:49):
This is the market where wesee again most of the potential also
considering like the number ofad sets that are sold in this, in
this field where you, whereyou have a lot of value in remotizing
digitalizing the trainingexperience and adding haptics, as
I said before, brings the, thesimulation closer to the real application
(23:12):
so makes the, the trainingmore efficient and effective.
So this is where we areworking mainly.
This is the market where weare let's say selling more interfaces,
making more projects and so on.
But not only training, we arealso working in virtual prototyping
applications.
(23:33):
So consider like designersthat collaborate remotely to create
an object and they'redesigning, let's say the, for the
new, you know, like a brand,select a brand and choose it and
consider that and building anew vehicle or a new product.
You can let designers worktogether on the design of the, of
the, of that product.
And before the actualproduction, before any gram of plastic
(23:58):
or any gram of prototype, youcan experience that product, you
can evaluate the ergonomics ofthat product.
Everything done virtuallythanks to the, to the optical augmentation.
So making experience and thisis true for designers, but if it's
true for the designers, can betrue also for the customers of that
company.
So the third field where weare working is the marketing applications
(24:20):
like immersive marketingcampaigns for events or in store
consider like we are workingwith fashion industries, luxury brands
or furniture and so on.
Designing application futurefuturistic applications where people
can enter into a shop andtouch and, and experience a product,
a bag or whatever.
(24:42):
Touching, touching thatproduct, creating a connection with
that product and with thatbrand that pass through the sense
of touch which is the closestsense we have to our emotional sphere.
I could see that definitelyused for immersive marketing or,
or prototype design for sure.
I happen to have a listenerthat might be in the auto industry
(25:04):
at a very high level that thatmight be interested in this device
because I know they've rolledout a ton of XR and training modules
over the years.
Okay, let's talk about some ofthe challenges in scaling of a haptic
startup.
What has been the biggestchallenge in scaling we are from
an idea to a growing company.
Challenges that we face it sofar are mainly related with the product
(25:26):
design.
Because at the moment what we,I mean what we noticed at the beginning
was that there, there is a lotof interest in the hapt market.
There is a lot of let's say asyou said before, when you are able
to grasp an object andmanipulate it in, in, in the free
space moving your hand, thenext need will be to fill that object.
(25:48):
So we saw it but there was noproduct at that moment able to, to
solve that.
You know, able to answerproperly to that need.
So we made a first attemptwith our first products that is the
touch diver first generationthat we launched in 2021.
Trying to solve that, thatneed to solve that problem.
(26:09):
Different sensations and gobeyond simple vibrations.
This is, this was our first response.
But then we noticed somelimits limitations of that devices.
In particular, we asresearchers were like based on a
neuroscientific result, we sayokay, three fingers are enough because
these are the three fingersthat we are typically using to stabilize
(26:30):
the grasp of an object.
May blah blah blah blah blah.
And then we realized thatpeople wanted to have five fingers
and also the palm.
So at the beginning, I meanwe, we tried to convince them that
it was enough, but it was not enough.
But this is perfectly fine.
So we ended up with a newversion of the glove that now we
think will, will be the devicethat the market was need that the
(26:52):
market was waiting for interms of, not only in terms of performances,
but also in terms of design,ergonomics and easiness of use.
Easiness of use for thecustomer, let's say sorry for the
final users, but also for thedeveloper that want to integrate
it.
And these are the challengesthat we faced now in front of us.
The next challenges arerelated, as I mentioned before, with
(27:14):
the pro, the price of theproduct and the content generation.
Have you faced resistance orskepticism when pitching haptic solutions
to businesses?
And if so, how did you overcome.
That at the beginning?
As always, for these kind oftechnologies that are not so, I mean,
people survived withouttactics for years.
(27:37):
So the fact that the challengewas to say, okay, you need this to,
to make VR experienceseffective, engaging and so on, actually
people survived also withoutthat, without headsets before or
without lab, without smartphones.
So it's a typical challengewhen you, when you in, when you bring
(27:58):
in the market something thatreally was not existing and change
the kind of interactions youare having, the kind of, you know,
experience you're having wheninteracting in this case with digital
content.
So at the beginning, the firstproblem was convince them that this,
this was needed.
But this was a problem I hadfor instance, talking with investors.
(28:19):
Why should I bet on this?
While there are controllersthat are, there isn't tracking and
so on.
But what I can tell you now,Skip, is that a lot of companies
I pitched to in the last threeyears and were skeptical.
Now they are writing andcalling me to say, okay, now this
is the moment for optics.
We anticipated a little bitthe time we found that we are in
(28:42):
20, in 2018, where, where VRwas not known exactly.
And we were proposing thehaptics for.
We are for, for VR.
So it was like going a littlebit faster than expected.
But now the time is, is theright time because I really, really
see a lot of people comingback to us in some way and recognizing
(29:05):
the value of the, of what wewere proposing years ago.
Where do you see haptictechnology in the next five or 10
years?
We believe that optics willbe, optic technology will be integrated
in all the human interfaces weevery, we use every day.
I'm talking about, you know,smartphones, wearable devices and
(29:30):
so on.
For us, the future of thiskind of devices for sure is a future
of devices that aretransparent to the user.
You know, like things that people.
It's like the airports, youknow, you forget about them because
they are very well designedand you forget about the ipods when
you wear it.
This means for us transparencyDevices that are there, that are
(29:53):
there when you need them.
But.
But doesn't, you know, ask theuser to adapt to the technology?
Technology that adapts to theuser and this is what we are aiming,
aiming to building devicesthat are small, affordable and to
interact with any digital content.
We are, we believe that likein the future, pictures, videos,
(30:16):
games or this video call forinstance, could be augmented with
the tactile sensations thatare synchronized and integrated with
visual and auditory cues.
Well, Guido, to that point, ifyou could dream big, what is your
ultimate vision for weart andhaptics in general?
In general, for me, as I said,the kind of devices we are going
(30:38):
to build will be as close aspossible to rings, things that you
really don't feel verydiscreet in some way for the users.
If we talk about applicationand marketing, the natural evolution
and the most promising one isthe entertainment market.
(31:00):
So yeah, we are targeting thiskind of stuff for both the hardware
we want to build andapplications we are targeting.
Just curious, who inspires youin the world of technology and innovation?
We like a lot, for instancefrom Apple devices, this kind of
(31:21):
approach in which thetechnology adapts to the user without
asking almost anything to the user.
You skip all the unnecessaryclicks, you skip all the unnecessary
actions when you start workingor using a device like that.
So for us, human interfacesmust be a second scheme for the user.
(31:43):
Okay, this is what we areaiming to.
And for instance, Appledevices in my opinion are going in
that and are matching those,this kind of philosophy.
This is one of the principles,a principle we are following in the
design.
Yeah, speaking of principles,you've really taken your product
and you've made it easy.
So just some technical specson your device really from a developer's
(32:06):
point of view, you've got dragand drop libraries that you can just
place on objects to make iteasy from the development perspective
and from the user perspective,you've got, it's wireless, the hand
tracking is great, it's gothot swappable batteries.
You really make it easy forboth the developer and the user.
We talk about this in the VRside quite a bit.
(32:27):
From the training perspectiveof don't force your users to learn
how to use VR, just have themput it on and have it be a flawless
experience.
And really from the hardwareside, you've taken that from a haptic
angle and you've made thateasy as well.
Yeah, you before you asked mewhich are the resistances of the
users to adopt this kind ofstuff and for us to win and to fight
(32:53):
against this Kind of resistance.
We need to make users life easy.
Otherwise you are adding asecond barrier.
Already people ask why shouldI do that?
Then if you make them, if youmake it difficult, it will be, you
know, harder.
So we are building devicesthat can be worn in few seconds that,
that are lightweight from theuser experience point of view.
(33:16):
Not only from the way thephysical weight point of view, but
the lightweight in general,but also for the developer.
Because one of the mainbarriers today is that you want to
integrate something.
And our customers arecompanies, but also content developers
that build the applicationsfor the final company.
And to convince them or to letthem use the device in a comfortable
(33:38):
way, you need to make theirlife easy.
So without writing tons oflines of code, you can can forget
about the code.
You can just drag and drop thehaptic Component on a 3D object in
Unity or Unreal and it's done.
And this is why we are alsointegrating with platforms.
There are a number ofplatforms that are middle layers
(34:02):
built on top of Unity inUnreal with the same target, making
developer life easier.
We are integrating with thisplatform too.
So when you are able to createan experience experience with few
clicks, then you are able toadd haptics with two more clicks.
Where can our listeners learnmore about WEART and try out your
technology?
Yeah, we have a very richwebsite where you can find all the
(34:27):
information about theproducts, the use cases, customers,
partners and so on.
We have an active community onLinkedIn and other social media you
can find for we are tactics.
And then if you want to trythe device you just write me an email
or you just just fill the formon the website or write to info at
we are whatever.
I read everything and I canset a call and agree on a trial,
(34:52):
a demo, a meeting or justletting people know about the new
event where we will be presentto try the technology at our put.
Okay, I'm going to tack ontothat a little bit Guido because now
that Magic 8 is a distributorhere in the United States, if you're
interested in getting yourhands on this technology or purchasing
(35:12):
one of these devices, come tothe Magic 8 website.
You can also find outinformation there.
And for all of our listenersthat are in the restaurant business
and are going to MyTech 2025,we are going to be having an experience
zone.
This is a VIP event where youneed to sign up for a demo.
However, you're going to beable to experience VR training, augmented
(35:35):
reality, simulations, remote support.
But we are also going to havethe touch diver G1 at this booth
now the Touch Diver Pro.
Guido, when is that going tobecome available?
We start.
We already delivered.
We are delivering actually inthese days the first batch of production
that we, that was, that wassold in in few weeks and com and,
(36:01):
and we are delivering all thepairs now, the first pairs of Touch
Diver pros around the world.
And there will be a secondbatch of production in late March
and then in May too.
So if you want to, you know,access the technology, purchase it
or try just write us and wewill let you know which is the next,
(36:22):
the next appointment for, fora delivery.
Guido, thank you very much andI am so excited to have this strategic
partnership with Weart and youand your team and I can't wait to
show off the technology at theMyrtek Conference coming up here
in March.
Thank you very much.
Skip, thank you for yourenthusiasm, for your energy you are
putting in this partnership.
We really love it.
(36:46):
So this leaves me with aquestion for you.
Do you want to experience thistechnology in person?
Well, you can.
You can come see Magic Gate'sExperience zone at Murtech 2025 to
learn about and be exposed tocutting edge technology such as augmented
reality, virtual reality andthe Haptics device you heard on today's
(37:06):
show.
You will be able to try outvirtual reality training, augmented
reality, remote support anddata visualization and so much more.
Keep your eyes on our LinkedInpage as we get closer to the event
to find out how you can book ademo time.
This year is going to changethe way you think about the future
of your technology stack.
(37:27):
Now Connecting with Me isreally quite simple and accessible
across multiple platforms.
You can reach out via socialmedia, skipkemple or magicate tech
on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
You can go to ourwebsite@skipkimple.com for all archived
episodes and show notes aswell as the Magic gate website@magicgate.com
(37:50):
of course, feel free to reachout to me directly@Skipagic8.com
I really do look forward toconnecting with you.
The content of this showleading up to Mirtech will be all
about exploring Magic Gate'sgroundbreaking strategic partnerships
with innovative vendors thatare reshaping the industry.
This may be your firstintroduction to these emerging technologies
(38:13):
and we are excited to provideinsights into their trajectory and
practical applications.
You may be surprised to learnthat some of your competitors have
already begun integrating XRstrategies into their operations.
Now is the time to stay ahead.
Magic 8 is here to guide youthrough this transformation and ensure
(38:34):
you remain at the forefront ofindustry innovation.
Oh my Gosh, So much to do, solittle time.
Let me get back to work toprepare for next week's big announcement.
I'm excited to chat with younext Tuesday.
And until then, stay safe,stay healthy, and stay hungry.
My friends.
(38:56):
Are you ready to level up yourtech game and understand the world
of xr?
Dive into the world ofextended reality with Magic Gates
XR Bootcamp Master theconcepts of virtual reality, augmented
reality and mixed reality injust weeks.
No special equipment orprevious knowledge is required.
Limited seats are available tosign up now@bootcamp.magicgate.com
(39:19):
that's Bootcamp magicgate.comyour future in XR starts there.
This is the Tech Chef Podcast.
This is episode number 88February 11, 2025 this show is powered
by Growth AdvisorsInternational Network where travel
and hospitality companies cometo grow.
For more information pleasevisit gainadvisors.com hi.
(00:21):
I'm Guido Gijoso, CEO ofWeart, and you are listening to Scape
on the Tech Chef Podcast.
How about a taste test ofrestaurant technology?
Drive thru or curbside?
Mobile apps or AI?
It's all on the menu.
(00:42):
Cook it up for the date.
It's a recipe for success.
You're in good hands with theTech Chef.
Make a plan to be your best.
Strategize with the Tech Chefwelcome back to another episode of
the Tech Chef.
(01:02):
If you're a returninglistener, we appreciate you tuning
in again.
And if you're new here, welcome.
You've just found your go tosource for all things hospitality,
technology and strategy.
Our mission?
It's really quite simple tohelp you make your organization more
profitable, efficient and mostimportantly, future ready.
So if you haven't already, besure to subscribe on your favorite
(01:25):
podcast platform.
You don't want to miss asingle episode.
Today is no different than anyother show that we do as we're diving
into some game changingrestaurant tech that is changing
the industry.
Each week our special guestwill share how they're reshaping
the industry one bit and byteat a time.
Whether you're a seasoned proor just dipping your toes into the
(01:48):
tech world, this episode hassomething for everyone.
You might just walk away withfresh, bold new ideas that until
recently seem like a distant future.
In just a few weeks, industryleaders and innovators will convene
in Las Vegas for the firstmajor restaurant technology conference
of the year, Mirtech.
This event is always ahighlight, but this year promises
(02:12):
to be especially exciting.
I am honored to take the stagealongside Christopher Siebes, renowned
restaurant technologystrategist and CEO, as well as Brian
Myers, the CIO for CityBarbecue, for a discussion on how
to streamline RFPs with RTN standards.
Together, we will provide astep by step guide to best practices
(02:34):
for creating more efficient,transparent and effective RFPs.
Leveraging the restaurantTechnology Network Standards, this
session is designed to empowerboth restaurant operators and technology
providers, offering valuableinsights that will enhance your procurement
process and strategic decision making.
Attendees will walk away withactionable takeaways to implement
(02:58):
within their organizations.
We strongly encourage vendorsto join as well as understanding
and incorporating RTN's datastandards into your products is crucial
for staying ahead in theevolving restaurant technology landscape.
We look forward to an engagingand impactful discussion.
We'll see you at Mirtech.
(03:19):
Now let's get into today'sepisode and explore how technology
is redefining the hospitality landscape.
Guido Joyoso, co founder andCEO of Weart, joins us to discuss
their groundbreaking Hapticstechnology which is redefining the
way people experience VR andAR training.
(03:39):
As one of the most innovativesolutions in the market, this technology
enhances immersion like never before.
Through a strategicpartnership with Magic Gate, you
now have the opportunity toexplore and integrate this cutting
edge solution into your operations.
Guido brings a distinguishedbackground in technology, holding
(04:00):
a degree in computerengineering and a PhD in robotics
and Automation from theUniversity of siena.
With over 20 peer reviewedpublications across top scientific
journals, books and conferenceproceedings, his research has focused
on human inspired roboticmanipulation and haptics.
(04:21):
Today, he joins us here toshare insights on Weird, a revolutionary
series of wearable andportable haptic devices designed
to elevate virtual andaugmented reality experiences.
Time to step outside yourcomfort zone and learn about a technology
most of you have not experienced.
Who's ready?
(04:41):
I am very excited to be ableto introduce you to this cutting
edge technology.
Enjoy joining the Tech Chefpodcast today.
We are excited for a strategicpartner and a big announcement here
at Magic 8.
Mr.
Guido Gioso, CEO of WeartHaptics, joins us from Milan, Italy.
(05:04):
Good morning, Guido.
Hi everyone.
Good morning, Guido.
I am so excited for this show today.
We have a bunch ofannouncements over the next 30 days,
but this one is near and dearto me because I found this product
at a show last year at awe.
And I'll tell you what, I wasblown away by the technology.
(05:27):
We're going to have to dig alittle deeper because some of my
audience doesn't know abouthaptics and things like that.
So this should be an excitingand informative show.
Let's start off though.
Tell us a little bit aboutyour background and what led you
to found weart.
Yeah, thank you for the question.
Thank you for your words, Skip.
So I started as a researcherafter my university path at the University
(05:51):
of Siena, which is a smalltown in, in Tuscany here in Italy.
I started after the masterdegree, I started a PhD in robotics
in the lab in the Robotics andautomation lab of the University
of Siena.
And this small lab is smallbut very well known in the app, in
the robotics community to behighly focused on the deep knowledge
(06:14):
of the human hand.
And, and this is like atradition in that university and
the professor that, that led,that that is leading this, this lab,
Professor Pratikitz, so thatnow is also with me in we art started
this, this research pathhighly focusing on the knowledge
(06:35):
of the human hand and, andfrom this deep knowledge that we
built, also collaborating withneuroscientists and so on.
Some of the research partsstarted like control of robotic hands,
design of robo, design ofwearable haptic devices, devices
that can be worn by a user andthat are small robotics components
(06:57):
that can apply on the userskin, on the user body in general,
a combination of tactile sensations.
We started from forces, okay.
Devices that can apply forcesduring the interaction with a virtual
content, connected with thevirtual content and applying on the
user skin forces.
And then we come, we addedother sensations that now we integrate
(07:20):
in our products.
So in that experience, in thatfour years of PhD and so on, we started
working on these prototypesthat now are the grandfathers, let's
say of the products that, thatwe are bringing on the market.
Now I'm going to jump the gunhere a little bit just because I,
I'm over energetic about your product.
(07:40):
I had the chance obviously toexperience your product firsthand.
Can you tell us a little bitabout what makes your product unique
in the haptics world?
Because I think some peopleare from, maybe familiar with the
word haptics.
You know, they have hapticsbuilt into your, your iPhone where
it buzzes and you feel alittle simulation so that you, you
have a sense of touch but youtake things to the next level.
(08:03):
Talk about some of thoseunique features.
Yeah, so yeah, you're right.
Most a lot of people now from,I don't know, no many years, but
thanks to Apple thatintroduces the taptic engine in their,
in their devices, we are,people have started to be, to be
familiar with this word haptics.
But unfortunately most of thetimes we think that haptics means
(08:26):
vibrations and this is not true.
Haptics is a Greek word thatrefers to the contact and refers
in general to the sense of touch.
And what happens when we touchan object or we grasp an object.
It doesn't vibrate when wetouch an object.
Typically we feel the contactswith an object through what we call
(08:47):
skin indentation.
So it's basically thecompression of our skin, of the skin
of our, of the contact pointthat goes in contact with the object
and, and feels the, the, thepresence of the object through a
force.
Okay, so this is the firstthing we aim at replicating with
our devices a contact forcethat is, that acts at the cutaneous
(09:10):
happen when I touch the object.
The second thing I feel is its temperature.
And this is the second thingwe are able to replicate with our
wearable devices, thetemperature of the object.
Then sometimes I feelvibration, but I feel vibrations
mainly when I try, when Istart exploring the surface of the
object and feeling theroughness of the object.
(09:31):
And this is what, this is thethird sensation that we integrate
the, the texture rendering thesurface properties of the object
that are rendered through vibration.
So these three, three tactilesensations, again forces, textures
and thermal feedback are forus like the rgb if we want for the
(09:53):
sense of touch, you know,combining three channels, we can
render with this combinationany tactile image.
This is what we call haptics.
And the uniqueness of thetechnology that we are bringing,
the products that are bringingon the market is on the presence
of three sensations.
This is the only technology inthe market that can combine three
(10:14):
tactile sensations on the user skin.
And the temperature itself isa novelty.
No one is able to renderthermal feedback, which is very important
to complete the image, let'ssay the optic image.
Well, once again jumping thegun here a little bit.
But that's what intrigued meabout your product.
Not only the being able topick up an object and really feel
it in your hands, but touchinga surface and feeling the difference
(10:36):
between a smooth surface and arough surface.
But the thermals, that's whatgot me being able to.
And I obviously I was walkingin there with the inspiration of
hospitality and maybe acooking school or a restaurant or
a chef learning how to cook.
Just imagine being able to dovirtual training and if you pick
(10:57):
up a hot pan, you are going tofeel the heat.
If you stick your hand in coldwater, you are going to feel the
coolness that is mind blowing.
And when you're fullyimmersive and you experience this,
it is a whole different worldand a whole different sensation.
What you've created is very unique.
Yeah, the temperature feelingis very, very important.
(11:21):
At the beginning actually weart was like labeled as the one of
the temperature.
But it's not like it's notonly temperature because as I said
we can provide the contactforce, the surfaces and so on.
And even if you're, if in yourapplication you don't require the
temperature, apparently youcan use the devices to get the other
(11:44):
two sensations.
But the nice thing of thetemperature is this.
First of all, in thesesituations, if you want to simulate
something, for instance fortraining and you want to train people
on the safety aspects of aprocedure like being able not to
touch something that can behot or something like that, it's
(12:07):
important.
Is important to createemotional engagement of the user
with the content because it's.
The temperature completes, youknow, like the image, the tactile
image we want to display andmake you believe that you are really
immersed in that environment.
And finally, the role of thetemperature is important for material
(12:28):
discrimination.
I said that we can rendermaterials thanks to vibrations, but
it's not only vibration,because the difference between a
metal part and a plastic partor a marble or wood or and so on,
pass not only through thedifference in texture, but also the
difference in the thermalbehavior of that material.
So the combination is the key.
(12:49):
Yeah, yeah, I never thoughtabout that.
If you pass your hand over amarble countertop, it is cooler than
just a wooden.
Wooden countertop, for instance.
Yeah.
And if you feel it in VR, thenyou really believe that you're touching
marble.
Otherwise you are touchingsomething that resemble marble if
you only perceive vibrationsand surface properties.
(13:11):
Well, Magic Gate, as we'redeveloping this whole VR training
and all these solutions forthe hospitality industry, I think
one of the most importantthings is, you know, we've experienced,
you know, if you've been inany type of VR environment before,
if you get rid of thecontrollers and you have hand controls
out there, there you see yourcontrol, your hands.
(13:33):
But, you know, when you graban object, you're trying to guess
where to grab.
This is a whole different story.
When you grab an object, youfeel that you've grabbed that object,
and there's no doubt about itin your mind that you're actually
performing that function.
And this goes way beyondhospitality, obviously.
I deal with a company over inSpain that they do industrial simulations.
(13:54):
Oh, my goodness, what anamazing opportunity this would be
for them to integrate thesedevices into their training programs.
Haptics, I always say that whyyou are.
You want to add haptics to a simulation.
This is the first questionthat, for instance, our investors
told us, you know, like, okay,but people.
Why people would need that?
For two reasons.
(14:15):
The re.
The role of optics in VR playand, and, and, and let's let me say,
contribute in two ways toenrich the experience in terms of
realism and in terms, in termsof engagement.
And for instance, in theindustrial training, you don't need
people to be emotionally involved.
You need the simulation to be realistic.
(14:37):
So if you grasp an object andyou don't feel it, this is way different
from what will be the realexperience on the.
On the field, on the real field.
So thanks to optics, we canincrease the level of realism on
the other side.
For instance, in Hospitality.
If you want to simulatesomething, if you want to bring people
virtually in a location thatis far away or in an environment
(15:01):
that can let people dreamabout that stuff, for instance.
In that case, the, theemotional engagement is everything
and haptics can being inbuilding what in literature is called
suspension of disbelief.
If you are immersive in anenvironment, you want to believe
(15:22):
that you are there, you know,and if you grasp an object and you
don't feel it, the dream is broken.
Suddenly the, the disbelief is broken.
Something is broken, likebecause, sorry, you, the disbelief
is not working because thefact that you, you grasp an object,
you in reality, you feel it.
So if I, if I go there, Igrasp it, I don't feel anything.
(15:44):
Suddenly my brain say, okay,this is a game.
I'm not really there.
And while haptics cancontribute in keeping, keeping the
illusion, keeping the illusionalive, and, and in literature, also
in theater or while writingbooks, this is called the suspension
of disbelief.
So your judgment of your brainis suspended for some, for some minutes
(16:05):
and you want to keep the dream.
Wow.
A lot of thought went intothis product, obviously.
So I'm going to take a stepback here.
The company name, We Art.
What.
What is, what does that mean?
How did that come to be?
Thank you.
You pronounce it correctly.
It is not trivial becausesometimes people doesn't catch the
(16:26):
right pronunciation, which isWe Art.
And We Art is pronounced likethat because the first reading of
the name is a wearablerobotics technology.
But there is like an insidejoke inside the name.
There is a second reading thatis We Art.
We wanted to keep the word,the word heart in, in the, in the
name because we believe thathaptics can represent a new tool
(16:52):
for people, for creative people.
And developers of VRapplications are creative people
to express themselves, likegiving them a new paintbrush with
new colors.
And for us, the colors are thetactile sensations that we can render.
So this is a creative tool.
This is something that peoplecan use to create novel form of arts
(17:14):
or to perceive in a novel way.
Standard or traditional formsof arts.
And for us, digital contentsare a novel form of art.
Let me ask you this, what wasyour initial inspiration behind we
are haptic technology and wasthere a specific moment or problem
that you were trying to solve for?
Yeah, haptic interfaces existsince like 70 or years, more like
(17:41):
40, 50 years ago, started topopulate labs, universities, hospitals.
Actually at the beginning theywere like very, very expensive big
robots that can interact withthe big robotic arms, that can interact
with the robot with the humanoperator and exchanging forces and
(18:05):
so on.
These devices was always foundin again, hospital slabs were never,
never found an application inthe real world, in the near market,
given their cost, complexity,the structure, the fact that they
should, they were alwaysconfined on a desk or in a specific
room and so on.
(18:25):
And we wanted to say, okay,this is amazing how we can bring
these devices, this potential,this technology out of the labs,
out of the hospitals.
We make, we need to make iteasier, we need to make it wearable,
we need to make it cheaper.
We need to bring at a wearablelevel or at a portable level, but
(18:47):
with small devices that can bethat people can and use in everyday
life.
We need to bring thispotential on devices that are completely
different, designed in adifferent way.
So we started moving from big3D mouses and big robots to small
thimbles or small rings.
And now we are making gloves,which is like the evolution of those
(19:09):
thimbles.
So do you see the day of AIand machine learning playing a role
in the evolution of haptics?
Yeah.
One of the main, you askingright now, how about the starting
point?
And one of the main, let's saybarriers that we have today to bring
haptics around to spreadhaptics is the content generation.
(19:32):
When you have a VR applicationtoday, what you typically do is to
HUD and you want to integratethe touch diver, for instance, our
glove.
What you typically do is toselect an object, a 3D object, and
set the properties, thetactile properties of these objects
that are manually assigned tothe object.
(19:54):
Okay, I want to say that thisis a wooden object.
This is the stiffness of theobject, this is the temperature of
that object.
Okay.
This process requires adevelopment effort which is very
limited thanks to the SDK thatwe try to make as friendly as possible.
Like few clicks, you don'tneed to write code.
But still there is somethingthat people that the developer needs
(20:16):
to do to integrate the optics.
What we are working on now isto use AI to directly and automatically
understand the tactileproperties of the objects, starting
from the images from the 3D models.
And this is what we that howthe AI can help in creating automatically
(20:36):
create the optic contentassociated with any digital experience
or digital content.
That's a great place to take abreak, Guido.
When we come back, let's talkabout some industry applications
and challenges and scaling ofhaptics and really the future of
haptics at weart.
So hang on everybody, we'll beright back and you don't want to
(20:59):
miss the Second half of the show.
Hey, since I have you here, ifyou're headed to Murtech in Vegas
this year, March 10th through12th, you gotta swing by Magic Gate's
experience zone.
We're talking next levelrestaurant tech, VR training that
actually works.
AR remote support that makestroubleshooting a breeze.
And some seriously cool datatools to keep your ops running smooth.
(21:23):
Plus you can mess around withfuturistic stuff like augmented reality,
virtual reality and haptic devices.
It's all hands on, no boringdemos, just straight up cool tech
that you need to see.
Come check it out.
Now that we're back, let'stalk about some industry applications.
Regarding haptic technology.
(21:43):
It has the potential acrossmultiple industries.
Gaming, training, healthcare,remote work.
What industries excite you the most?
Excite me the most?
I think it's, I mean our final target.
I think and for this kind oftechnology, the natural evolution
(22:04):
or the market where we see thebiggest potential is the entertainment
and gaming, which is bigmarket and, and where this technology
can really change the rule,the rules of the game.
But to go there we still needto work a bit and to arrive at gamers
houses, we need to builddevices that can be affordable for
(22:29):
them costing like few hundredsof euros or dollars, whatever, and
also solving the properproblem on the content generation.
So we are targeting that market.
But in the meantime, and thisis exciting for me, but in the meantime
we are adding a lot of valuein B2B applications, in application
designed for companies and inparticular on training.
(22:49):
This is the market where wesee again most of the potential also
considering like the number ofad sets that are sold in this, in
this field where you, whereyou have a lot of value in remotizing
digitalizing the trainingexperience and adding haptics, as
I said before, brings the, thesimulation closer to the real application
(23:12):
so makes the, the trainingmore efficient and effective.
So this is where we areworking mainly.
This is the market where weare let's say selling more interfaces,
making more projects and so on.
But not only training, we arealso working in virtual prototyping
applications.
(23:33):
So consider like designersthat collaborate remotely to create
an object and they'redesigning, let's say the, for the
new, you know, like a brand,select a brand and choose it and
consider that and building anew vehicle or a new product.
You can let designers worktogether on the design of the, of
the, of that product.
And before the actualproduction, before any gram of plastic
(23:58):
or any gram of prototype, youcan experience that product, you
can evaluate the ergonomics ofthat product.
Everything done virtuallythanks to the, to the optical augmentation.
So making experience and thisis true for designers, but if it's
true for the designers, can betrue also for the customers of that
company.
So the third field where weare working is the marketing applications
(24:20):
like immersive marketingcampaigns for events or in store
consider like we are workingwith fashion industries, luxury brands
or furniture and so on.
Designing application futurefuturistic applications where people
can enter into a shop andtouch and, and experience a product,
a bag or whatever.
(24:42):
Touching, touching thatproduct, creating a connection with
that product and with thatbrand that pass through the sense
of touch which is the closestsense we have to our emotional sphere.
I could see that definitelyused for immersive marketing or,
or prototype design for sure.
I happen to have a listenerthat might be in the auto industry
(25:04):
at a very high level that thatmight be interested in this device
because I know they've rolledout a ton of XR and training modules
over the years.
Okay, let's talk about some ofthe challenges in scaling of a haptic
startup.
What has been the biggestchallenge in scaling we are from
an idea to a growing company.
Challenges that we face it sofar are mainly related with the product
(25:26):
design.
Because at the moment what we,I mean what we noticed at the beginning
was that there, there is a lotof interest in the hapt market.
There is a lot of let's say asyou said before, when you are able
to grasp an object andmanipulate it in, in, in the free
space moving your hand, thenext need will be to fill that object.
(25:48):
So we saw it but there was noproduct at that moment able to, to
solve that.
You know, able to answerproperly to that need.
So we made a first attemptwith our first products that is the
touch diver first generationthat we launched in 2021.
Trying to solve that, thatneed to solve that problem.
(26:09):
Different sensations and gobeyond simple vibrations.
This is, this was our first response.
But then we noticed somelimits limitations of that devices.
In particular, we asresearchers were like based on a
neuroscientific result, we sayokay, three fingers are enough because
these are the three fingersthat we are typically using to stabilize
(26:30):
the grasp of an object.
May blah blah blah blah blah.
And then we realized thatpeople wanted to have five fingers
and also the palm.
So at the beginning, I meanwe, we tried to convince them that
it was enough, but it was not enough.
But this is perfectly fine.
So we ended up with a newversion of the glove that now we
think will, will be the devicethat the market was need that the
(26:52):
market was waiting for interms of, not only in terms of performances,
but also in terms of design,ergonomics and easiness of use.
Easiness of use for thecustomer, let's say sorry for the
final users, but also for thedeveloper that want to integrate
it.
And these are the challengesthat we faced now in front of us.
The next challenges arerelated, as I mentioned before, with
(27:14):
the pro, the price of theproduct and the content generation.
Have you faced resistance orskepticism when pitching haptic solutions
to businesses?
And if so, how did you overcome.
That at the beginning?
As always, for these kind oftechnologies that are not so, I mean,
people survived withouttactics for years.
(27:37):
So the fact that the challengewas to say, okay, you need this to,
to make VR experienceseffective, engaging and so on, actually
people survived also withoutthat, without headsets before or
without lab, without smartphones.
So it's a typical challengewhen you, when you in, when you bring
(27:58):
in the market something thatreally was not existing and change
the kind of interactions youare having, the kind of, you know,
experience you're having wheninteracting in this case with digital
content.
So at the beginning, the firstproblem was convince them that this,
this was needed.
But this was a problem I hadfor instance, talking with investors.
(28:19):
Why should I bet on this?
While there are controllersthat are, there isn't tracking and
so on.
But what I can tell you now,Skip, is that a lot of companies
I pitched to in the last threeyears and were skeptical.
Now they are writing andcalling me to say, okay, now this
is the moment for optics.
We anticipated a little bitthe time we found that we are in
(28:42):
20, in 2018, where, where VRwas not known exactly.
And we were proposing thehaptics for.
We are for, for VR.
So it was like going a littlebit faster than expected.
But now the time is, is theright time because I really, really
see a lot of people comingback to us in some way and recognizing
(29:05):
the value of the, of what wewere proposing years ago.
Where do you see haptictechnology in the next five or 10
years?
We believe that optics willbe, optic technology will be integrated
in all the human interfaces weevery, we use every day.
I'm talking about, you know,smartphones, wearable devices and
(29:30):
so on.
For us, the future of thiskind of devices for sure is a future
of devices that aretransparent to the user.
You know, like things that people.
It's like the airports, youknow, you forget about them because
they are very well designedand you forget about the ipods when
you wear it.
This means for us transparencyDevices that are there, that are
(29:53):
there when you need them.
But.
But doesn't, you know, ask theuser to adapt to the technology?
Technology that adapts to theuser and this is what we are aiming,
aiming to building devicesthat are small, affordable and to
interact with any digital content.
We are, we believe that likein the future, pictures, videos,
(30:16):
games or this video call forinstance, could be augmented with
the tactile sensations thatare synchronized and integrated with
visual and auditory cues.
Well, Guido, to that point, ifyou could dream big, what is your
ultimate vision for weart andhaptics in general?
In general, for me, as I said,the kind of devices we are going
(30:38):
to build will be as close aspossible to rings, things that you
really don't feel verydiscreet in some way for the users.
If we talk about applicationand marketing, the natural evolution
and the most promising one isthe entertainment market.
(31:00):
So yeah, we are targeting thiskind of stuff for both the hardware
we want to build andapplications we are targeting.
Just curious, who inspires youin the world of technology and innovation?
We like a lot, for instancefrom Apple devices, this kind of
(31:21):
approach in which thetechnology adapts to the user without
asking almost anything to the user.
You skip all the unnecessaryclicks, you skip all the unnecessary
actions when you start workingor using a device like that.
So for us, human interfacesmust be a second scheme for the user.
(31:43):
Okay, this is what we areaiming to.
And for instance, Appledevices in my opinion are going in
that and are matching those,this kind of philosophy.
This is one of the principles,a principle we are following in the
design.
Yeah, speaking of principles,you've really taken your product
and you've made it easy.
So just some technical specson your device really from a developer's
(32:06):
point of view, you've got dragand drop libraries that you can just
place on objects to make iteasy from the development perspective
and from the user perspective,you've got, it's wireless, the hand
tracking is great, it's gothot swappable batteries.
You really make it easy forboth the developer and the user.
We talk about this in the VRside quite a bit.
(32:27):
From the training perspectiveof don't force your users to learn
how to use VR, just have themput it on and have it be a flawless
experience.
And really from the hardwareside, you've taken that from a haptic
angle and you've made thateasy as well.
Yeah, you before you asked mewhich are the resistances of the
users to adopt this kind ofstuff and for us to win and to fight
(32:53):
against this Kind of resistance.
We need to make users life easy.
Otherwise you are adding asecond barrier.
Already people ask why shouldI do that?
Then if you make them, if youmake it difficult, it will be, you
know, harder.
So we are building devicesthat can be worn in few seconds that,
that are lightweight from theuser experience point of view.
(33:16):
Not only from the way thephysical weight point of view, but
the lightweight in general,but also for the developer.
Because one of the mainbarriers today is that you want to
integrate something.
And our customers arecompanies, but also content developers
that build the applicationsfor the final company.
And to convince them or to letthem use the device in a comfortable
(33:38):
way, you need to make theirlife easy.
So without writing tons oflines of code, you can can forget
about the code.
You can just drag and drop thehaptic Component on a 3D object in
Unity or Unreal and it's done.
And this is why we are alsointegrating with platforms.
There are a number ofplatforms that are middle layers
(34:02):
built on top of Unity inUnreal with the same target, making
developer life easier.
We are integrating with thisplatform too.
So when you are able to createan experience experience with few
clicks, then you are able toadd haptics with two more clicks.
Where can our listeners learnmore about WEART and try out your
technology?
Yeah, we have a very richwebsite where you can find all the
(34:27):
information about theproducts, the use cases, customers,
partners and so on.
We have an active community onLinkedIn and other social media you
can find for we are tactics.
And then if you want to trythe device you just write me an email
or you just just fill the formon the website or write to info at
we are whatever.
I read everything and I canset a call and agree on a trial,
(34:52):
a demo, a meeting or justletting people know about the new
event where we will be presentto try the technology at our put.
Okay, I'm going to tack ontothat a little bit Guido because now
that Magic 8 is a distributorhere in the United States, if you're
interested in getting yourhands on this technology or purchasing
(35:12):
one of these devices, come tothe Magic 8 website.
You can also find outinformation there.
And for all of our listenersthat are in the restaurant business
and are going to MyTech 2025,we are going to be having an experience
zone.
This is a VIP event where youneed to sign up for a demo.
However, you're going to beable to experience VR training, augmented
(35:35):
reality, simulations, remote support.
But we are also going to havethe touch diver G1 at this booth
now the Touch Diver Pro.
Guido, when is that going tobecome available?
We start.
We already delivered.
We are delivering actually inthese days the first batch of production
that we, that was, that wassold in in few weeks and com and,
(36:01):
and we are delivering all thepairs now, the first pairs of Touch
Diver pros around the world.
And there will be a secondbatch of production in late March
and then in May too.
So if you want to, you know,access the technology, purchase it
or try just write us and wewill let you know which is the next,
(36:22):
the next appointment for, fora delivery.
Guido, thank you very much andI am so excited to have this strategic
partnership with Weart and youand your team and I can't wait to
show off the technology at theMyrtek Conference coming up here
in March.
Thank you very much.
Skip, thank you for yourenthusiasm, for your energy you are
putting in this partnership.
We really love it.
(36:46):
So this leaves me with aquestion for you.
Do you want to experience thistechnology in person?
Well, you can.
You can come see Magic Gate'sExperience zone at Murtech 2025 to
learn about and be exposed tocutting edge technology such as augmented
reality, virtual reality andthe Haptics device you heard on today's
(37:06):
show.
You will be able to try outvirtual reality training, augmented
reality, remote support anddata visualization and so much more.
Keep your eyes on our LinkedInpage as we get closer to the event
to find out how you can book ademo time.
This year is going to changethe way you think about the future
of your technology stack.
(37:27):
Now Connecting with Me isreally quite simple and accessible
across multiple platforms.
You can reach out via socialmedia, skipkemple or magicate tech
on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
You can go to ourwebsite@skipkimple.com for all archived
episodes and show notes aswell as the Magic gate website@magicgate.com
(37:50):
of course, feel free to reachout to me directly@Skipagic8.com
I really do look forward toconnecting with you.
The content of this showleading up to Mirtech will be all
about exploring Magic Gate'sgroundbreaking strategic partnerships
with innovative vendors thatare reshaping the industry.
This may be your firstintroduction to these emerging technologies
(38:13):
and we are excited to provideinsights into their trajectory and
practical applications.
You may be surprised to learnthat some of your competitors have
already begun integrating XRstrategies into their operations.
Now is the time to stay ahead.
Magic 8 is here to guide youthrough this transformation and ensure
(38:34):
you remain at the forefront ofindustry innovation.
Oh my Gosh, So much to do, solittle time.
Let me get back to work toprepare for next week's big announcement.
I'm excited to chat with younext Tuesday.
And until then, stay safe,stay healthy, and stay hungry.
My friends.
(38:56):
Are you ready to level up yourtech game and understand the world
of xr?
Dive into the world ofextended reality with Magic Gates
XR Bootcamp Master theconcepts of virtual reality, augmented
reality and mixed reality injust weeks.
No special equipment orprevious knowledge is required.
Limited seats are available tosign up now@bootcamp.magicgate.com
(39:19):
that's Bootcamp magicgate.comyour future in XR starts there.
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