HaptX Secures $12M Series A Funding Led by NetEase to Develop Next-Gen VR Haptic Gloves for Medical Education

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that on December 20, 2019, local time, HaptX, a VR glove manufacturer headquartered in Seattle, Washington, announced the completion of a $12 million Series A financing round. The round was jointly invested by NetEase, Amit Kapur from Dawn Patrol Ventures, Mason Avenue Investments, Taylor Frigon Capital Partners, Upheaval Investments, Votiv Capital, Keiretsu Forum, and Keiretsu Capital. The proceeds will be used to develop the next generation of HaptX haptic gloves. This round brings HaptX’s total funds raised to date to $19 million.

HaptX’s flagship product is the HaptX haptic glove, which employs pneumatic actuation technology. It works by pumping air through a network of microfluidic channels within the wearable hardware to simulate the sensation of physically holding objects seen in a VR environment. The haptic glove and its exoskeleton feature 130 feedback points that provide resistance to the wearer’s fingers, mimicking the feeling of closing one’s hand around solid objects. The HaptX haptic glove enables users to perceive subtle changes in pressure, shape, and even temperature on their palms and fingers, making it suitable for applications such as design visualization, medical training, and teleoperated robotics.

Currently, the most promising application of VR in healthcare lies in its significant advantages for medical training. Fully immersive 3D surgical simulations help train young doctors by allowing them to observe and learn procedures from the operator’s perspective, closely replicating real-world surgical scenarios to enhance learning outcomes and prepare them for various clinical situations. According to data from the research consulting firm IndustryARC, the application of VR and AR in the healthcare industry is projected to reach $2.54 billion by 2020.

High-precision manual dexterity is often required in surgical procedures, and traditional controller-based manipulation clearly fails to fully meet the demands of medical education. VR gloves, represented by HaptX haptic gloves, offer a natural and comfortable interface that significantly facilitates the learning of intricate surgical techniques, while delivering high efficiency and low cost.

HaptX (formerly AxonVR) was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, USA. The company has been dedicated to developing haptic gloves for VR, training, and robotics.

NetEase is a leading internet technology company in China, consistently maintaining its forefront position within the domestic industry in the development of internet applications, services, and other technologies.

Mason Avenue Investments is an investment banking firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, USA, specializing in early-stage investments.

Taylor Frigon Capital Management is an asset management firm that provides active investment strategies and offers risk investment opportunities to selected individuals, RIAs, and institutional investors.

(Compiled by Ning Chen)