ultra-thin electronic 'skin' to provide vivid virtual tactile experience in the metaverse - Designboom

‘wetac’ electro-tactile feedback system

A squad of researchers astatine the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has precocious introduced ‘WeTac’, a thin, wearable physics ‘skin’ that provides tactile feedback to users successful VR and AR environments. This wireless electro-tactile strategy is made of a skin-friendly hydrogel furniture that sticks onto the users’ palms and collects their personalized tactile sensing data, hoping to bring a much realistic and vivid virtual interaction acquisition to the Metaverse. The recently developed innovation has large exertion imaginable successful virtual games, sports, method training, societal interaction, oregon distant power robots.

‘In summation to imaginativeness and hearing, tactile feedback volition further heighten the acquisition of virtual world (VR). Therefore, we are committed to processing a wireless tactile interface that is thinner, softer, and much skin-friendly, and the idiosyncratic tin inactive determination freely erstwhile wearing it successful hand, conscionable similar a 2nd skin.’ shares Dr Yu Xinge, Associate Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering astatine CityU and person of the research.

the WeTac strategy consists of a bladed skin-friendly thenar spot | each images courtesy of the City University of Hong Kong (CityU)

wireless wearable thenar patches regenerate bulky tactile gloves

Tactile gloves presently connected the marketplace dwell chiefly of aerial pumps and aerial ducts, arsenic good arsenic power systems powered by wires and cables, which importantly compromise users’ immersive acquisition successful virtual and augmented reality. In opposition to these bulky gloves, the recently developed WeTac, is thin, soft, and skin-friendly, frankincense providing a amended idiosyncratic experience.

The WeTac strategy developed by CityU (find much here) consists of 2 parts: a tiny flexible actuator that serves arsenic a power panel, and a thenar spot with hydrogel electrodes arsenic a tactile interface. The full actuator weighs lone 19.2 grams and is tiny capable (5 cm x 5 cm x 2.1 mm) to beryllium worn connected the user’s forearm. It is besides equipped with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and a tiny rechargeable lithium-ion artillery utilized for wireless transmission and power. The thickness of the thenar spot is lone 220 microns to 1 mm. The electrodes widen from the thenar to the fingertips.

the flexible actuator is attached to the user’s forearm

Potential for a wide scope of applications

The WeTac strategy has been successfully integrated into virtual scenes specified arsenic VR and AR and tin besides enactment on devices similar robotic arms via BLE communication. Its lightweight, portable, and wireless power plan and sensitivity-based strength accommodation let users to easy acquisition virtual interaction with ‘hands and feet.’ Users tin acquisition virtual objects successful antithetic scenarios, specified arsenic grasping a tennis shot during sports practice, touching a cactus successful virtual societal networks oregon games, oregon feeling a rodent walking connected their hands.

‘The squad believes that this probe tin supply an effectual improvement instrumentality for virtual contact, and besides bring enlightening value to the improvement of ‘Metaverse’, human-machine interface cognition and different antithetic fields of technology.’ says Dr. Yu. 

project info: 

name: WeTac
author: City University of Hong Kong (CityU)