Shenzhen firm Dexta Robotics seeks global funding for exoskeleton device

With one handheld device, a Shenzhen company claims it is punching through the barrier between the real and virtual worlds, promising the same ease of control as a computer's desktop mouse.

Hi-tech start-up Dexta Robotics has developed its Dexmo "exoskeleton" for the hand that not only sends commands to a video game, a robot or an online device, but also sends feedback to the user, giving the feel of battering an enemy or plucking a digital guitar.

And it will be all at an affordable price if Dexta can generate the money it needs on global fundraising platform Kickstarter.

Dexmo's creators say the key to the product is their creative use of relatively simple, low-cost sensors to capture hand movements with greater precision, putting the kind of hands-on virtual reality experience previously limited to the few within range of the many.

The company says the device has a wide range of applications, from video gaming and creating music to dismantling a terrorist bomb.

It's come up with various versions of the exoskeleton, targeting virtual reality enthusiasts such as gamers, creative people such as artists and musicians, and professionals such as doctors and engineers. Each version has its own mechanical design and technical performance, and Dexta hopes its devices will become as common as the TV remote.