Researchers from the City University on Hong Kong and Northwestern University have created a skin-integrated virtual reality (VR) system that is powered and controlled wirelessly. This device allows people to feel a hug through a video call.
Functional components were integrated into a thin elastomeric layer with a thickness of only 3 mm. A total of 32 haptic actuators are controlled in four groups, by eight independently controllable communication ports in the device. Source: City University of Hong Kong
Current VR and augmented reality (AR) devices rely on vibratory actuation that is imported on the skin by electrical motors. These devices require bulky wires and battery packs attached to the body, which limits their applications. The new VR system can receive commands and simulate the touch vibrations wirelessly. The user feels touch through a thin, soft, bandage-like adhesive device attached to the skin. The device is made of hundreds of functional components and is 3 mm thick. Actuators simulate touch with millimeter-scale mechanical vibration. The components are integrated into a thin silicone-coated elastomeric layer. The device is breathable, reusable and functional when fully bent or twisted.
The device has a collection of chip-scale integrated circuits and antennae that are embedded in the device. This allows it to be controlled wirelessly. The haptic actuators harvest radio frequency power through a large flexible antenna within a given distance. The device can be operated as far as 1 m away, which is 10 times the ability of current devices. Haptic actuators require less than two milliwatts to create a sensory vibration, while conventional actuators that are direct-current driven need as much as 100 milliwatts to produce the same level of vibration.
The team has created an app for prosthetic users to test out the new device. The device has potential in communications, prosthetic control, gaming and entertainment. The next step is to create an electronic skin that can feel temperature.
The research was published in Nature.
