Gizmo lets you ‘feel’ weather forecast

THE days of checking what the weather will be like on television or your phone could soon be over.

Technology has been developed that could allow people to ‘feel the weather’ by putting their hand near an alarm clock.

The BBC has created a device which uses ultrasound waves to simulate the feeling of rain on your fingers, snow touching your palms or even the glow of sunshine. A prototype has been designed to help its experts understand how this so- called ‘ haptic’ technology might be used in the coming years.

In a new blog, Cyrus Saihan, the BBC’s head of digital partnerships, will say: ‘Imagine a situation where... you place your hand in an alarm clock-type device, “feel” the weather forecast and then know whether or not you need to take an

‘Like tiny jets of air on your skin’

umbrella.’ A video shows BBC weather presenters, including Sarah Keith-Lucas, testing the device. She says: ‘[It] brings out a whole new element to your experience of watching a television programme.’

Using technology by the company Ultraleap, the interactive device charts the exact position of a person’s hand put underneath it and then recreates the weather by using sound frequencies which humans cannot hear to create the touch sensations.

Mr Saihan says it feels like ‘very focused and precise tiny jets of air being blown onto your skin’.

The machine has a screen with 3D holographic-type animated images of BBC weather forecast symbols to make the experience more immersive.

There are still many questions about how haptic technologies like this could be built into everyday life but Mr Saihan said touch sensations could be delivered through existing devices, such as remote controls and phones, as well as new ones.