FLESH FEEDBACK: Eric Vezzoli, "Research to Reality"

The IDM X ONX FLESH FEEDBACK speaker series continues on Friday, March 14 from 3-4:30 pm with Eric Vezzoli, CEO of Interhaptics and Director of Technology at the gaming peripherals/hardware company Razer.

From Research to Reality: Leading Haptics Innovation at Razer

Eric Vezzoli will discuss his unique journey from academia to becoming the Technology Director at Razer, where he has worked on a range of haptics products. After walking us through what sparked his initial passion for haptics, Eric will detail some of the pivotal moments at Interhaptics, funded to create a unique SDK (Software Development Kit) and media coded for all haptics systems, the acquisition form Razer, the leading PC gaming peripheral brand, and identify the fundamental lessons about haptics that have informed his strategy. Eric will tell us about the range of projects and innovations he’s been part of, including the Haptics Club and Haptics Industry Forum initiatives. Finally, he’ll offer insights into the future of haptics technology and its potential to expand the gaming industry. For students, researchers, and industry professionals alike, this talk will provide valuable perspectives on navigating the current haptics technology landscape with a user-centric approach to product design.

Speaker bio

Eric Vezzoli (Director of Technology, Razer - CEO Interhaptics) is an entrepreneur with deep technical knowledge with a proven track record in technology strategy and business execution for deep tech and new technology ventures. He's head of Technology at Razer, reporting to the CEO, and CEO of Interhaptics, the development tools division or Razer. Eric Vezzoli holds a PhD in Haptics and funded Interhaptics, allowing the creation and deployment of HD haptics for any platform. Interhaptics was acquired by Razer in 2022. He authored the architecture of the MPEG standard for haptics coding, streaming, full-body haptics, and extended reality compatibility, and contributed to the development of the OpenXR haptics APIs in collaboration with many in the industry. He is the founder and co-host of the Haptics Club podcast that shares and documents best practices for haptics implementers, and a director and XR Haptics working group chair at the Haptics Industry Forum. He has authored more than 50 scientific papers and patents in Haptics and human-machine interaction.

Event specifics: RSVP required for non-NYU guests through Eventbrite! Every outside visitor must be registered and provide a unique non-NYU email address. On the day of the event, you'll receive an email pass, bring identification and the pass (you do not need to print it out) for security.

About the Fall ‘24 Speaker Series: FLESH FEEDBACK: DESIGNING WEARABLE SENSATIONS

With the ubiquitous adoption and domestication of wearable devices that continually feed us streams and bursts of data relayed through touch, we’ve already become acclimated to practices of remote haptic sensing, knowing, communicating, and socializing. An emerging generation of wearables, with varying degrees of success, attempt to route more complex, engaging, and affectively compelling forms of touch through these contacts opened up between flesh and technology. At the same time, these new material intimacies with data expose us to a range of vulnerabilities, as our bodies can be monitored and remotely stimulated, often without our consent. Often ideated as our most ‘ancient’ sense–or alternatively as a ‘neglected’ sense–touch takes center stage in this year’s IDM X Onassis speaker series, as a compelling mix of artists, designers, industry professionals, and academics each take up questions about our changing embodied relationships with digital technologies.

Host or Publisher Brooklyn Experimental Media Center at NYU Tandon School of Engineering