Force feedback joysticks have been around for over a decade but there hasn’t been a stick made that could simulate the three dimensions of an object until Novint made the Falcon. If you think this unit looks like a robot rather than a joystick you would be right.

The joystick element of the controller is raised above the surface of the resting platform so when you grip it with your hand you’re pushing at it in three dimensions. Sensors detect any movement that your hand makes, updating the data to your machine a thousand …