Company History/Chronology

August 2002 - Global Haptics released its first product at Siggraph 2002 in San Antonio. We are extremely pleased with the outcome of that product release. To learn more about the product and the technology, please explore this web site!

July 2002 - Global Haptics' original patent has now been referenced by 39 subsequent patents of third parties. That is 10 times the expected citation rate for IP in this field.

June 2002 - Global Haptics receives another injection of venture funding.

January 2002 - Global Haptics is featured in VentureWire, the premier online "source of news, networking, and information about private technology companies, VC firms, and the people that manage and finance them."

December 2001 - Global Haptics is discussed in a new web guide on haptic and visualization technologies. The guide was published by the The Research Training Initiative, Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, University of Central England. The chapter including our technology was written by Mairghread McLundie of the Digital Design Studio, Glasgow School of Art.

August 2002 - Global Haptics is the topic of a spirited exchange about the nature of its IP, in the Letters to the Editor section of the July issue of IEEE Computer Magazine.

July 2001 - Global Haptics welcomes Maryland-based Bear Code LLC to our fold. Bear Code is building an advanced 3D CAD program built specifically around the Orb's unique strengths.

June 2001 - 6,239,785! That's the number of our newest patent issue. The curious can visit the US Patent Office web site search engine and enter that number. Our original patent (U.S. Patent #5,666,473) has been cited as a reference in over 20 subsequent patents by outside parties in the past three years. That is more than five times the expected citation count for patents in this class.

March 2001 - Global Haptics is mentioned in BUSINESSWEEK Magazine, February 26 issue of their International Edition. The article is titled "Santa Fe's High Tech Chaparral" by Emily Esterson, and devotes a paragraph to a presentation on Global Haptics to an investor forum. Excerpt: "At the end of the evening's program, 30 people rush over to Wallace's table, like kids to an ice-cream truck, to be the first to squeeze the orb".

February 2001 - When the Los Angeles affiliate of NBC News covered the USC Conference on Touch in Virtual Environments today, they spent a sizable portion of their broadcast on a demonstration of the Orb™ by Global Haptics.

January 2001 - Major improvements in software have brought the capabilities of the current prototype to a professional-quality level. In addition to 3D navigation improvements and puppeteering (via OpenWorlds™, the prototype can easily shape, bend, twist, and color any 3D object (or part of the object) to the designer's wishes.

November 2000 - OpenWorlds®, providers of an open platform for web 3D graphics integration, has produced an alpha product that integrates their 3D browser with direct control through the Global Haptics geOrb prototype. The combination provides immediate and intuitive navigation through 3D virtual worlds and easy examination of 3D objects. OpenWorlds is used by 3D software application developers across the web 3D industry.

October 2000 - A talk and live demo on "Haptic Orbs; An Introduction" by Global Haptics founder Mike Wallace has been accepted for presentation at the USC Conference on Touch in Virtual Environments to be held in Los Angeles, February 23, 2001.

October 2000 - Global Haptics is interviewed on haptics for the nationally-syndicated Dixon Report Radio Show. The Dixon Report is hosted by Techno-Diva Pam Dixon. "Pam Dixon is an award-winning author, journalist, and speaker recognized for her contributions in the area of technology as it impacts the arts, education, business, and the workplace."

July 2000 - Global Haptics demonstrates a pre-commercial version of its patented geOrb® 3D computer control device at the SIGGRAPH 2000 Conference in New Orleans. Responses were overwhelming from professionals in the entertainment, aerospace, CAD/CAM, animation, fine arts, and academic communities. Representatives from many well-known firms in key industry sectors expressed interest in the Global Haptics technology. Due to the fact that the applications of the geOrb® cut across so many different disciplines and that it will ultimately be priced competitively with computer keyboards, mice and joysticks, many visitors hailed it as the 3D mouse of the future.

June 2000 - Global Haptics receives $10,000 grant from Technology Ventures Corporation (TVC). TVC is a non-profit subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp. The grant rewards Global Haptics' continued progress and efforts towards commercialization, and will support our presence at SIGGRAPH 2000 in New Orleans.

June 2000 - Global Haptics geOrb product a hit at the International Sculpture Center (ISC) conference in Houston, Texas. At the conference, many users of 3D graphics/CAD programs, such as Maya, 3D StudioMax, Rhino, and others were impressed by the intuitive ease of the geOrb, and indicated in a survey that they would like to see such programs communicate with the geOrb.

March 2000 - Software now features 25,000 triangles for smoother deformations.

March 2000 - Global Haptics is a registered exhibitor at SIGGRAPH 2000.  Come see us, July 25-27, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans.

March 2000 - Original prototype provided to PRISM lab at Arizona State University for evaluation.

February 2000 - Global Haptics is selected by Technology Ventures Corporation (TVC) to be one of 16 presenters at the TVC 2000 New Mexico Equity Capital Symposium to be held in May. TVC is a non-profit subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp.

October 1999 - Invention featured in Albuquerque Journal

October 1999 - Paris Demonstration a Success! At the INTERSCULPT conference, held at the French Senate in Paris, Professor Robert Smith demonstrated the haptic orb device to an audience of prominent computer sculptors and other artists. The demonstration was also broadcast on the world wide web and elsewhere, via a video/network link to the PRISM lab at Arizona State University. Concurrently, a sculpture created by Professor Smith, using the device, was RP'd (fabricated using a rapid prototyping machine) at the PRISM facility. Roughly concurrently, in Manchester, UK, Keith Brown, Director of FasTuk also RP'd the sculpture.

October 1999 - Robert Michael Smith begins evaluation of alpha product.

October 1999 - PRISM Lab at Arizona State University successfully tests Orb output, by making a Rapid-Prototype Fabrication. This activity is conducted in association with INTERSCULPT 99 and TELESCULPTURE 99.

September 1999 - geOrb® gallery

September 1999 - StL files on demand in ascii and binary (see above images)

July 1999 - smooth deformation of any convex shape

July 1999 - geodesic spheres

July 1999 - piloting/navigation, a major capability

June 1999 - improved surface curvature