Soon Sense a Hug over the Phone with a Wirelessly-Controlled Wearable Skin-Integrated Haptic VR Device
Wirelessly Controlled and Powered Skin VR System (VIDEO)
Simulating touch by millimetre-scale vibration
Dr Yu Xinge, Assistant Professor, Dr Xie Zhaoqian, Senior Research Fellow of Department of Biomedical Engineering at CityU and their team, cooperating with the team from Northwestern University, as well as collaborators from several research institutes and companies in US and mainland China, have developed an integrated skin VR system which can receive commands wirelessly, and then simulate the “touch” with vibration, overcoming the above shortcomings. The user can feel the touch easily by putting a bandage-like thin, soft and adhesive device on the skin.
The research findings were published in the latest issue of the highly prestigious scientific journal Nature, titled “Skin-Integrated Wireless Haptic Interfaces for Virtual and Augmented Reality”.
With the meticulous design based on structural mechanics, this pioneering skin-integrated VR device is comprised of hundreds of functional components, including the actuators simulating touch by millimeter-scale mechanical vibration. These components are integrated into a thin silicone-coated elastomeric layer with a thickness of only 3 mm. It is breathable, reusable and functional at a full range of bending and twisting motions.
The structure of the skin VR device: 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 4 groups, by 8 independently controllable communication ports in the device.
Credit: City University of Hong Kong (CityU)
Wireless-controlled and power efficient
More importantly, a collection of chip-scale integrated circuits and antennae embedded inside the skin VR device allows it to be powered and controlled wirelessly.
“The haptic actuators can harvest radio frequency power through the large flexible antenna within a certain distance, so the user wearing the device can move freely without the trouble of wires,” Dr Yu explained. The system can be operated within a distance of as far as one meter, which is 10 times of existing maximum distance using similar technologies.
And since the new system uses advanced mechanical design, the haptic actuators require less than 2 milliwatts to induce a notable sensory vibration, while the conventional direct-current driven ones need power of about 100 milliwatts to produce the same level of vibration.
“Thus, we solved the difficult problem of transmission by low-power wireless function and significantly increased the distance of the operation for our system. This system not only saves power but also allows users to move more freely without the trouble of wires,” Dr Yu said.
Wide application potential
The team has spent about two years to develop this wireless skin VR system, which involves various disciplines such as mechanical engineering, materials science, biomedicine, physics and chemistry. They are running application trial for the users of prostheses to feel the external environment through the sense of touch and provide feedback to the users. “It can help them to feel the external stimulation with their prosthesis, such as the shape or texture of an object,” said Dr Yu. In addition, it can be used for developing virtual scenes for clinical applications.
Also, he believes the system can greatly enhance sensory experience in social media interactions, multimedia entertainment, surgical training and beyond.
To fabricate an electronic skin which can feel temperature will the next step of their research.
The user wears the VR device (black part) on his upper arm. The sensor on the prosthetic hand can detect the shape of the object he grasped, and then generate a simulated “touch” through the VR device, he can then perceive the shape of the object.
Credit: City University of Hong Kong (CityU)
Professor Huang Yonggang and Professor John A. Rogers from McCormick School of Engineering, Northwestern University, are the corresponding authors of the paper. The first authors are Dr Yu Xinge and Dr Xie Zhaoqian. Research team members from CityU included Dr Li Dengfeng and Mr Liu Yiming, both also from the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
Members of the research team also consisted of researchers from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Pennsylvania State University and University of Arizona in the US, University of Bristol in the UK, and Tsinghua University and Shandong University in China.
Dr Yu Xinge (left on the front), Dr Xie Zhaoqian (right on the front) and the team members from City University of Hong Kong
Credit: City University of Hong Kong (CityU)
The research was supported by CityU, the Center for Bio-Integrated Electronics at Northwestern University, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, China Scholarship Council and National Basic Research Program of China. The patent of the technology is pending in the USA.
Contacts and sources:
University of Hong Kong (CityU)
Source: http://www.ineffableisland.com/2019/12/soon-sense-hug-over-phone-with.html
Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.
"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.
Please Help Support BeforeitsNews by trying our Natural Health Products below!
Order by Phone at 888-809-8385 or online at https://mitocopper.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomic.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Order by Phone at 866-388-7003 or online at https://www.herbanomics.com M - F 9am to 5pm EST
Humic & Fulvic Trace Minerals Complex - Nature's most important supplement! Vivid Dreams again!
HNEX HydroNano EXtracellular Water - Improve immune system health and reduce inflammation.
Ultimate Clinical Potency Curcumin - Natural pain relief, reduce inflammation and so much more.
MitoCopper - Bioavailable Copper destroys pathogens and gives you more energy. (See Blood Video)
Oxy Powder - Natural Colon Cleanser! Cleans out toxic buildup with oxygen!
Nascent Iodine - Promotes detoxification, mental focus and thyroid health.
Smart Meter Cover - Reduces Smart Meter radiation by 96%! (See Video).