Microsoft Patents Virtual Handshakes, Hugs

theodp writes "'It can be tough to stay connected over long distances,' writes GeekWire's Todd Bishop. 'Yes, there's phone calls, texting, Facebook, Twitter, IM, video chatting and everything else. But what if you could give virtual hugs to each other using battery-powered, Internet-enabled pillows?' That — and more — is covered by Microsoft's newly-awarded patent on Force-Feedback Within Telepresence, the idea of using interactive, connected devices to bring physical interactions to long-distance communications. Readers of Ted Nelson's 1975 Computer Lib/Dream Machines can only imagine the interesting possibilities for Skype!"

Comments

Re:been done in cyberspace for over a century

[Attila Dimedici]

I hope you enjoy it when a few of his buddies come home and take you to the hospital after you trip, fall, and break a few bones when they come up to you thank you for your part in baking those wonderful cookies. Perhaps no one ever told you that it is a really bad idea to piss off someone who kills people for a living.