Fujitsu develops glove-style tech

Fujitsu has unveiled a wearable device in the form of a glove at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

It features near-field communication (NFC) and gesture-based technology. It is aimed at people who cannot use conventional smartphone or tablet devices while working because they need to wear gloves.

By touching an object using the glove device users can receive information displayed on a "head-mounted display".

The glove will be launched in 2015.

Fujitsu said that the device could be used by workers in factories or on building sites who work in dirty environments and have to wear gloves to operate or repair equipment.

Haptic tablet

If the equipment they are working on has an NFC tag on it the glove will detect this when it is touched and show any relevant documentation or work-orders in a headset that can be linked to the glove via bluetooth.

Fujitsu say it could "streamline operations and cut errors".

The Japanese firm also demonstrated a haptic tablet that will allow users to feel "a sense of slipperiness or roughness".

On display at MWC was a prototype version of the tablet that allowed users the chance to feel the "sensation of plucking the strings of a Japanese harp", or to feel the "skin texture of an alligator".

The technology works by cycling between high and low friction in response to a user touching the screen.

Fujitsu said the technology had "wide-ranging potential applications" including for use in gaming and for displays in retail environments.

The company said it would hope to have a commercial version of a product with haptic technology by 2015.

How the haptic technology works