Modern computer games consoles have controllers that vibrate –
when you crash your car in a racing game or get shot in a shoot-
em-up, you get a jolt through your fingers, which is designed to
increase the realism of the game and enhance your experience.
Imagine if you could do the same thing with chemistry. You
sketch out some molecules, then move them together to see if (or
how) they will react. As virtual electron clouds approach each
other, they push back, resisting your efforts to push them any
closer. You try different angles until you find the right
geometry, or push hard enough to force them to react with each
other.  All the while, in the background, the computer is making
quantum chemical calculations in real time. This is Markus
Reiher’s vision of the future. Together with his team at the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, he is
developing ‘haptic quantum chemistry’ systems. This involves
both working out ways to speed up quantum chemical calculations
to the point where they can