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Haptics let people touch and feel remotely

Ray Kurzweil, Books and essays, 1999, published 1999-01

Haptic technologies are emerging that allow people to touch and feel objects and other persons at a distance.

Verdict

hitTwo blind graders agree (D7, rule D16). Not in the audit sample (D11).

Grader A: hit

Haptic technology for touching at a distance was emerging by 2009: teleoperation with force feedback dated from the 1950s, the PHANToM haptic arm from 1995, and haptics were used in surgical and flight simulators. The claim only says the technologies are emerging.

Test: Existence test (emerging): remote and virtual force-feedback devices existed in research and professional use by 2009.

Haptic technology (Wikipedia) (retrieved 2026-09): Teleoperators from the 1950s; PHANToM system 1995; haptics used in surgical and flight simulators.

Grader B: hit

Remote-touch haptics was emerging: force-feedback teleoperation and surgical and research telehaptic systems existed. 'Emerging' is a low bar that 2009 met.

Test: Research/early product test: prototypes and specialist systems by 2009.

Wikipedia: Haptic technology (accessed 2026-09-28): Rumble Pak and SideWinder Force Feedback 1997; DualShock vibration standard on PlayStation; haptics used in surgical and flight simulators; force-feedback teleoperators since 1950s.

All captured fields

rank: 69
kind: decade_prediction
section: Communication
subject: Haptics let people touch and feel remotely
target year: 2009
timing: in
position: Chapter 9, "2009"; item Communication 12 in Kurzweil 2010, p. 58
confidence: high
note: Wording as reproduced by the author in "How My Predictions Are Faring" (2010); book page not given there. Subject label is the essay's own item heading.