Stark uses his hands to interact with this high-tech interface, all the while touching nothing tangible. It’s no secret that we’re already on the brink of taking this sort of tech from the movies into real life, but how do we make it even better? Enter ultrahaptics, which uses sound waves to create the sensation of touch when no touch is actually present.

With an ultrahaptic device, ultrasound transducers create sound waves at a high frequency. These waves create isolated changes in air pressure that mimic the sensation of touch. No contact with a physical object is necessary.