A time traveler visiting an earlier era might reasonably conclude that humanity had entered an era cyborgs and cybernetics. Pedestrians regularly walk along city streets tiny computers in their hands and even smaller digital devices shoved into their ear canals. Virtual reality headsets, while still bulky, can transport users to convincingly realistic digital versions of a distant world. museums and long ago in the past historical events. And yet, despite all this technologypeople today still can't feel what it's like to touch objects in their digital worlds.
A team of engineers from Northwestern University is trying to change that with a new bandage-like finger. wearable. An ultra-thin haptic device called VoxeLite wraps around the user's finger (any finger will do) and sends electrical impulses through a grid of circular nodes that function like pixels on a computer screen and provide the sensation of touch. According to the teamThe result is a device capable of adding the physical sensations of touch and feel to a digital experience. Additionally, trial participants reportedly experienced “human resolution” in digital spaces.
Smartphone users using VoxeLite could theoretically scroll through a sweater on Instagram and feel the texture of the fabric. Gamers in virtual reality You can also use a wearable device to feel the tension of a bowstring or the slippery surface of a well-varnished doorknob. Finger-worn devices also open more practical doors. In theory, the added sensation of touch in virtual worlds could help people with visual impairments navigate apps more easily. Details of the device are described this week in a study published in the journal magazine Achievements of science.
“I’m excited to see what entirely new forms of digital communication, interaction and experience we can create together as we gain access to this new sensory modality.” Northwestern graduate student Sylvia Tan tells Popular Science. “The examples in the article are things that we can easily imagine, but for me this is just a starting point. Just as advances in visual and audio technology have changed our daily lives, I am excited to see how advances in touch technology will change it even more.”
Digital hardness lags behind vision and sound
Digital audio and visual realism have developed rapidly in recent decades, but the same cannot be said for so-called digital touch. With only a few scattered exceptionsthe sense of touch when interacting with the digital world still depends almost exclusively on varying levels of vibration. This works well enough for certain applications, but pales in comparison to the nuance and richness of sensation that the human finger experiences when touching objects in the physical world. Researchers call this sensation temporary skin resolution. Modern vibration-based technologies, by contrast, have low spatial resolution—so low that it can be compared to watching jittery old movies at extremely low frame rates.
“Despite its central role in how we perceive, navigate, and interact with the world, we lack a meaningful way to create lifelike digital touch,” the researchers write in the paper.
To bring the critical approach closer to reality, researchers had to rethink How the device will basically work. They created a grid of tiny nodes spaced 1.6 millimeters apart just under the user's fingertip. Each assembly consists of a soft rubber dome with a conductive outer layer and an electrode inside.
When a small voltage is applied, the nodes generate electroadhesionthe same effect that causes a balloon to stick to a wall after being rubbed. For the user, this means a sensation of friction or grip. Higher voltages create a rougher surface feel. Together, these nodes, called haptic pixels by the team, create complex illusions of texture and physical sensation.
Placing the nodes at the correct distance was particularly challenging. If they are located too close to each other, the body will not be able to distinguish one from the other. Too far apart and the device won't be able to register enough sensation to feel realistic.
“The biggest challenges and compromises we faced were purely manufacturing issues,” says Tan.. “Our current methods allow us to achieve distances of 1 mm, but anything less would require the use of high-precision machines, which we currently do not have access to.”
VoxeLite: gloves that are always at hand
Device form factor is intentionally lightweightweighing less than an ounce or gram. The researchers who developed it say they wanted a wearable device that was “tactilely transparent,” meaning a person wouldn't have to take it off when interacting with the physical world. In theory, someone could put on the VoxeLite and go about their day as normal, being able to experience digital touch at any time. The device is also thin enough to not distract users while performing other tasks. Tan says they envision the device in an ideal way. works similarly to glassesthat people wear throughout the day.
So far, the finger-worn device is working as intended. In a pair of experiments, study participants were asked to wear a VoxeLite and identify different senses of direction. When participants wearing the device were asked to distinguish between up, down, left and right, they answered correctly 87 percent of the time. In a separate test, participants were asked to identify the texture of fabrics such as leather, corduroy and terry cloth, and they answered correctly 81 percent of the time.
“These results position VoxeLite as a platform for human-resolution haptic technologies in immersive interfaces, robotics, and digital sensory communication,” the researchers write in the paper.
The wearable device is still in the early stages of development and likely won't ship as a phone accessory anytime soon. Ultimately, the team hopes to develop a system that can handle multiple fingers simultaneously, but this will require “optimized routing architectures and alternative manufacturing strategies” that don't exist yet. It's also unclear how even a single-finger wearable will perform after extended use in real-world environments, where it could be exposed to dirt, debris or other variables that could cause damage. One variable that it seems to handle quite well is humidity. Tan says they had no problems with exposure to sweat. In cases where the device is completely submerged in water, it will work again after air drying, Tan said.
However, the results point to a possible future in which interactions with digital environments could become noticeably more realistic and personal. The blurred line between man and machine is becoming increasingly blurred.
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