Technology is making great strides in engaging our eyes and ears in virtual worlds, but touch is more difficult. City University of Hong Kong engineers have developed WeTac, a thin, wearable electronic “skin” that provides tactile feedback to users in virtual and augmented reality. It can sweep away the plethora of wearable (and ridiculous) devices that today allow users to touch and manipulate virtual objects.
How does WeTac work? What can we “touch”?
The WeTac system consists of an adhesive hydrogel that is placed on the hand and fingers. It is connected to a small battery (wireless rechargeable) and a Bluetooth communication system located on the forearm. The hydrogel has 32 electrodes spread across the hand, thumb and fingers, through which electrical currents are transmitted to create tactile sensations. By stimulating different combinations of these electrodes at different intensities, WeTac can simulate a series of experiences: for example touching and grasping a tennis ball, or feeling a virtual mouse walking on your hand. Sensations can also be increased to become uncomfortable (but not painful), providing negative feedback for actions such as touching a cactus (always virtual).
What can we do about it?
The team says this system can be used in combination with virtual or augmented reality, opening up the possibility for numerous innovative applications. I gloss over everything we could touch during our forays through VR or AR video games (Pokémon hunting would take on another meaning): not to mention the market linked to eros. I will simply say that among the interesting and more "serious" fields of application is that of remote control of robots. Being able to receive tactile feedback when a robot grasps objects from a distance can greatly speed up the application of this tool. WeTac could also be used to help people learn new skills, such as surgery or flying a plane, in a more immersive and realistic way. Furthermore, it could also be used to provide remote support to people with disabilities or to help operators work in dangerous environments
If you want to take a look at WeTac in action, find the video below. The research was published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence e I link it to you here. We just have to wait to "touch" this innovation.
