With each passing day, technology develops to promote complete immersion of people, especially when it comes to virtual worlds. The eyes and ears were the first to enter this new universe, now scientists are working to make touch next. With this in mind, engineers from the City University of Hong Kong developed the WeTac. It is a thin, wearable electronic “skin” that provides haptic feedback to users immersed in Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR).
While this is not an uncommon area, especially with regard to wearable devices designed to provide this type of response to the user, what limits its spread and use is the size and bulk of the devices used to sense the touch, because they require configurations and a tangle of wires.
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For now, the WeTac system seems to be one of the closest to the touch lens, as it is made of a rubber hydrogel, which sticks to the palm of the hand and fingertips, connected to a small battery, which can be recharged without the need for wires, and this whole system communicates via Bluetooth.
There are 32 electrodes distributed over the hydrogel on the palm and all fingers. From these devices, electrical currents are emitted to produce tactile sensations. It is possible to form different combinations of these electrodes, with different intensities.
It is possible to have pleasant and unpleasant tactile sensations
Among the demonstrations carried out, it is possible to distinguish the sensation of picking up a tennis ball or feeling a virtual mouse passing through your hand. Unpleasant sensations, such as touching a cactus, can also be produced.
The team responsible for creating this system said it might be coupled with virtual reality or augmented reality. In this way, users of these modalities might actually feel the touch of what is happening on the screens. Have you ever thought of being able to control robots remotely and sense what the robot is grabbing? It would at least be interesting.
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