[arnioxux]

> My favorite was the magnetically levitated sphere in a bowl

I think you might be talking about CMU's Magnetic Levitation Haptic Interfaces: https://youtu.be/cMi75SrDbsk?t=12

I've used it before and it's pretty cool. It's strong enough such that when you hit a hard virtual surface it actually feels hard, and precise enough that when you drag across a brick-like surface it actually feels rough. Unfortunately I remember it having a tiny range of motion.

For your jointed arm "handle", I think they've managed to find a niche in surgical training simulations. I see a lot of similar products come up searching for 6DOF haptic devices (e.g. Phantom Premium 6DOF, Geomagic Touch, Force Dimension Omega 6)