Nexus NX1: New Full-Body Control for Humanoid Robots and Virtual Reality
Gloves, treadmill, shoes, and VR glasses: With the complete package "Nexus NX1", avatars in virtual reality and humanoid robots are to be controlled.
HaptX and 1HMX want to offer the ultimate haptic package for VR and robot control with "Nexus NX1".
(Image: 1HMX / HaptX)
Last year, VR haptic manufacturer HaptX was acquired by its long-standing manufacturing partner 1HMX. With “Nexus NX1,” both companies now want to move out of the niche of specialized gloves and offer a complete system for immersive machine control. The modularly designed setup provides haptic feedback, captures movements, enables fluid locomotion, and is primarily aimed at industry, research, and education.
The platform is a combination of three already known technologies: the haptic data gloves “HaptX Gloves G1” are intended to provide tactile feedback, while the motorized shoes “Freeaim” in conjunction with the 360-degree VR treadmill “Omni One” are intended to enable natural locomotion in space without motion sickness. The whole system is complemented by a tracking system that covers the head, torso, arms, hands, and feet.
Complete package of gloves, treadmill, and VR shoes
The “Omni One” from Virtuix captures walking motion using sensors and transfers it to the VR application. Users are bound by several straps to a movable arm, which ensures that they cannot leave the round base with the omnidirectional treadmill. Special shoes are needed to walk on it properly. These are supplied by the British start-up Freeaim. The VR shoes of the same name run on battery power and are suitable for shoe sizes between 36 and 47. Wheel modules attached to the soles rotate automatically, which theoretically would make walking in place possible even without a VR treadmill. However, in combination with the Omni One platform, this should work much more smoothly. Furthermore, users remain safely within a limited VR environment.
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HaptX has been working on data gloves for more than ten years. The current version, “Gloves G1,” weighs around 570 grams each and requires an air pressure unit that can be placed in a backpack or next to the platform. Each glove integrates 135 micro-chambers into which liquid is injected at high speed. This presses the skin inwards by about one and a half millimeters in the corresponding areas, creating the sensation of touch. In addition, vibrotactile feedback simulates surface texture, and artificial tendons with up to 3.6 kilograms of resistance per finger simulate the shape and size of virtual objects.
In addition to motion transmission, Nexus NX1 is also intended to enable communication in both directions. For example, when guiding a robot arm, it should be possible to feel what it is gripping or touching. According to the manufacturer, the system is particularly suitable for tasks requiring fine motor skills and movement coordination, from loading machines and assembly work to remote maintenance of complex systems.
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In addition to movement patterns, pressure distribution on the palms, foot contact with the ground, or the position of the body's center of gravity can be captured. This information is intended to enable AI training and comprehensive performance analyses in addition to remote control. Delivery of Nexus NX1 is scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2026. Pre-orders are already possible.
(joe)
