Afference raises $1.5M to develop wearable neural interface platform

Afference announced today that it has raised $1.5 million in funding to develop its new neural interface (or “artificial sensation”) platform, called Phantom. Konvoy led the round, and Afference plans to use the money to enhance the Phantom platform, which offers a new kind of haptic device for users to “feel” things in virtual reality environments.

The Phantom is a handheld wearable, wrapping around the user’s fingers and wrist. Rather than pressure, the Phantom uses electrical signals to communicate sensation on the skin to the user’s brain. It can be connected via Bluetooth to any Spatial Computing platform, including virtual and mixed reality devices.

Jacob Segil, Afference CEO, said in a statement, “Spatial Computing necessitates a paradigm shift in the way we interact with digital content. We are building an artificial sensory platform to allow
digital interactions to be as seamless as physical interactions.”

Taylor Hurst, principal at Konvoy, added, “The true promise of Spatial Computing can only be accomplished with compelling haptic feedback. Where other haptics company’s fail is in how they transfer this feeling to end users. Jacob Segil and Dustin Tyler, experts in neural stimulation, have built the best method of delivering artificial sensation for the Spatial Computing age.”

The company plans to launch development kits of the Phantom in early 2024.