Immersion Ships New Wireless CyberGlove(R) II Hand Motion-Capture Glove; Animators, Designers, and Researchers Gain Enhanced Efficiency and Realism for Animation, Digital Prototyping and Virtual Reality Projects.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Immersion Corporation (Nasdaq:IMMR), a leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology, announced today that it has started shipping its new CyberGlove(R) II hand motion-capture glove to customers. The wireless CyberGlove II system was designed to help animators, product designers, and virtual-reality researchers increase efficiency and realism for animated productions, design prototypes, and virtual reality systems.

"Our CyberGlove products supply very high accuracy and resolution," said Mike Zuckerman, senior vice president and general manager of Immersion's Industrial business unit. "Higher quality motion capture data allows animators to create a more realistic and compelling animated production or to control digital characters with simple finger movements. Adding to these benefits, the new CyberGlove II glove is a very comfortable, easy-to-wear device that is now wireless."

"We found the new wireless CyberGlove II system very easy to work with," said Herve Tardif, founder and president of 3Dclic, a 3D production studio that produces television shows, commercials, and interactive Web experiences. "The glove's resolution, stability, and accuracy are the same as the previous CyberGlove wired model, which is what most of our performers have preferred up until now. Its wireless range gives you more freedom of movement, and when it is fully integrated with body-motion capture, it could shave a considerable amount of time off a production schedule, especially when multiple actors are involved."

Curtis Garton, product manager at Alias, maker of the popular MotionBuilder real-time 3D character animation productivity suite used by video game, animated film, and cartoon animators, said, "Alias is pleased to have Immersion take advantage of MotionBuilder Pro version 7 software. With the introduction of wireless capture gloves, clients will now be able to achieve the freedom and flexibility they need for today's most demanding character performance needs."

For researchers and developers of virtual reality systems, the CyberGlove II system is also an invaluable tool. "The Immersion wireless glove gives us the low-latencies and spatial resolution we require, while providing the user with the unencumbered movement that more closely emulates the natural tasks we are studying," said Don Stredney, director of the Ohio Supercomputer Center's Interface Lab, a part of Ohio State University.

The new glove's ergonomic interface electronics comfortably strap to a model's arm and use the industry-standard Bluetooth(R) wireless technology to supply a wire-free 30 foot range from the host PC. The lightweight glove takes up to 22 high-accuracy joint-angle measurements to add realism to any application.

Software support

The CyberGlove II system includes software options for interfacing with CATIA, MotionBuilder, and many other applications. Product designers can use Immersion's VirtualHand for V5 to seamlessly interface with Dassault's CATIA 3D design software and reach into digital designs to evaluate ergonomics. Animators using Immersion's VirtualHand for MotionBuilder can transform hand and finger motions into real-time, joint-angle data for Alias' MotionBuilder. For virtual-reality researchers, Immersion's VirtualHand(R) Software Development Kit supplies the interface for adding hand motion capture, hand interaction, and force feedback to simulation applications.

About Immersion 3D

Immersion is a leading developer of 3D and force feedback products and technologies. Immersion's comprehensive family of hand-centric hardware solutions include Immersion's CyberForce(R), CyberTouch(R), CyberGrasp(R), and CyberGlove(R) products that help reduce prototyping costs by allowing users to "reach in" and physically interact with digital 3D content. Immersion's cost-effective MicroScribe(R) digitizer allows users to quickly construct detailed computer models by tracing over an object's surface.

About Immersion (www.immersion.com)

Founded in 1993, Immersion Corporation is a recognized leader in developing, licensing, and marketing digital touch technology and products. Bringing value to markets where man-machine interaction needs to be made more compelling, safer, or productive, Immersion helps its partners broaden market reach by making the use of touch feedback as critical a user experience as sight and sound. Immersion's technology is deployed across automotive, entertainment, medical training, mobility, personal computing, and three-dimensional simulation markets. Immersion's patent portfolio includes over 500 issued or pending patents in the U.S. and other countries.

Immersion, the Immersion logo, CyberForce, CyberGlove, CyberGrasp, CyberTouch, MicroScribe, and VirtualHand are trademarks of Immersion Corporation in the United States and other countries. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Immersion is under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.