Nov 21, 2019 08:41 AM EST<\/p>\n
Scientists have created a tool that enables humans to experience the sensation of touch withinvirtual reality.<\/p>\n
The 'smart skin' machine consists of a soft, lightweight sheet of electronics that sticks to the body. The new innovation utilizes a mixture of vibration, pressure, and motion to mimic the sense of touch for users.<\/p>\n
The study outlining the \"skin-integrated wireless haptic interfacesfor virtual and augmented reality\" was issued in thescientific journalNature.<\/p>\n
Nanoengineer John Rogers - a professor of bioengineering at Northwestern University who is the lead author of the study - explained that human touch is probably the most profound, most meaningful heartfelt connection that you can build with a loved one or friends.<\/p>\n
Hence, Rogers and his team at Northwestern came up with the idea of a new wireless and battery-free smart skin that could shift the course of this technology. Their smart skin can contour to the body and deliver sensory input -what you'd feel when using it - through a fast, programmable collection of tiny vibrating disks installed in a soft, flexible material.<\/p>\n
The authors explained their invention could have severe implications in various areas ranging from video games to prosthetics. The whole new skin's process is \"very complex,\" according to their paper.<\/p>\n
\"The sense of touch is a [compilation] of [different] sensations, [including] temperature, pressure, and pain. Until now, [there] has been a great challenge to [unite the] sensations of touch into virtual and augmented reality.<\/p>\n
\"In comparison to the eyes and the ears, the skin is a relatively underexplored sensory interface for VR and AR technology that could, nevertheless, greatly enhance experiences at a qualitative level, with direct relevance in areas such as communication, entertainment, and medicine.\"<\/p>\n
Rogers and his team say the technology could have several applications. The system, for instance, could be utilized to send touch to a loved one through social media or to replicate a specific shape of an object held in a prosthetic hand. The invention could also be used by video gamers to feel hits when playing combat video games.<\/p>\n
Virtual realityremains a niche technology, usually used for industrial applications and by a small portion of video gamers. Experts anticipate that improvements like these would help the technology finally break into the mainstream.<\/p>\n
Luke Osborn - a postdoctoral researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory who was not involved in the study - said he was excited to see how the new technology would progress in the coming years.<\/p>\n
\"What's [especially interesting] about their [output] is how they [combine] wireless power delivery,\" Osborn said.<\/p>\n
Osborn's team previously produced a sensory feedback tool called an\"e-dermis,\"which fits prosthetic hands and mimics nerve endings, allowing amputees to feel any nerve sensation.<\/p>\n
The Northwestern teams' new smart skin would add to the technology, allowing amputees \"to [know] how much force they're using when they grasp an object as well as how hot or cold the object is,\" Rogers said.<\/p>\n
\"You can also [use multiple] devices at [various] areas of interest across the body, and can [wirelessly and simultaneously] control all of them,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The medical applications of the technology motivate Rogers' team. They are currently working with stroke victims who cannot swallow, using a smart skin to help trigger and time swallows with respiration to avoid choking.<\/p>\n
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\nA 'New Skin' Could Allow You To Virtually Reach Out And Touch Anyone - Nature World News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"