Co-founded by father-and-son team Michael and Brodie Stanfield in Durham Region, IFTech Inventing Future Technology Inc. develops ARAIG, a wearable multisensory force-feedback suit for immersive gaming, training, and simulation. Its solution-agnostic operating system connects the suit to existing virtual platforms, translating digital events into localized touch, motion, and sound. The company’s work earned the Young Entrepreneur award in Durham’s 2015 Ignite competition.
Contact CIContact CI builds haptic wearables that capture and return the force behind human hand movements for physical-AI training, robotic teleoperation, and immersive simulation. Its Maestro EP glove uses patented ExoTendon technology to provide finger-level force feedback while recording contact and manipulation data, including lab-proven tracking across 23 degrees of freedom. The company also supplies Unity, Unreal, and C++ integration paths for robotics and simulation teams.CINCINNATI, OH
ButtKicker HapticsFor more than 20 years, ButtKicker Haptics has been known for tactile feedback technology that lets people feel the low-frequency effects behind simulated and recorded experiences. Based in Westerville, Ohio, the company develops haptic transducers for gaming and home entertainment, with its HaptiConnect software extending that experience for sim racing and flight simulation.WESTERVILLE, OH
EKTO VRPittsburgh-based EKTO VR builds robotic footwear that lets virtual-reality users walk naturally in place, expanding movement beyond a compact physical room. Founded by Brad Factor, a robotics engineer with Cornell and Carnegie Mellon training, the small team has spent seven years and eight major design iterations developing its VR boots and consumer Adventure Shoes. Its patented footwear has been used in more than 500 professional and commercial user experiences, including research by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.334118PITTSBURGH, PA
Vestibular FirstVestibular First began in 2017 when physical therapist Helena Esmonde and technology specialist Patrick Esmonde built a homemade prototype for a clinic that could not afford existing equipment. The Philadelphia company now makes modular infrared video goggles for vestibular clinicians, researchers, and educators, while keeping affordability and practical education at the center of its work.BROOMALL, PA