Haply Demonstrates Realistic Force Feedback in Digital Environments
At CES 2026, Haply showed the Inverse3 applying directional forces so users can physically interact with virtual objects — digital materials that feel soft, rigid, or resistant.
Originally published on haply.co — the canonical version of this article.
Not vibration — force
Most of what the industry calls “haptics” is vibration: a buzz that signals an event has happened. What Haply demonstrated at CES 2026 is categorically different. The Inverse3 applies directional forces that respond continuously to position and movement, so a user pressing into a virtual object feels genuine, calibrated resistance — not a rumble.
Materials you can feel
In the demo, digital materials carried physical character: soft surfaces gave way under the cursor, rigid ones pushed back, elastic ones sprang. Because the force output updates thousands of times per second, the illusion holds even during fast, fine hand movements.
Where it matters
The applications shown span simulation, medical research, robotics, and education — anywhere the difference between seeing an interaction and feeling it changes the outcome. Surgical trainees calibrate pressure; researchers probe simulated physics; students touch what was previously only visible.
Watch the demo
A short video of the CES 2026 demonstration is available on YouTube.