Collaborate Disseminate
Scientists have devised a clever new method of allowing people to feel sensations that are transmitted to their skin. Beyond its applications in fields such as gaming and telepresence, the technology could also be used to guide the blind.Continue Readi… Continue reading Smart patch buzzes, twists and presses the skin to deliver a sense of touch
Touch is a vital sense in human survival and experience, not for just how it informs personal connections but as an important early warning system for identifying harm. Yet not all touch is equal. Scientists recently discovered how men have lower touch… Continue reading Men lack sensitivity when it comes to touch – but there’s a natural fix
Touch is an important communication tool in interpersonal relationships, whether intimate or professional. Studies have shown that pleasant touch, like you’d get from a cuddle, hug, or holding hands, improves mood, reduces stress and strengthens relati… Continue reading Choice makes touch significantly more pleasant
Human-machine interfaces such as smartphone screens would be a lot cleaner and longer-lasting if we didn’t have to actually touch the darn things. Scientists have now created a proximity-sensing film which makes such a scenario more possible and practi… Continue reading Proximity-sensing film lets people communicate by blinking
Using a 3D-printed material sensitive to electric fields, researchers have created a novel sensor that can accurately recognize and distinguish objects up to 10 centimeters – about four inches – away without needing to touch them physically. The touchl… Continue reading Hypersensitive touch sensor ‘feels’ things from 4 inches away
There are already a number of experimental prosthetic hands that provide users with the tactile sensation of touching an object. The MiniTouch system takes things further, as it allows users to sense the temperature of items that they’re touching.Conti… Continue reading MiniTouch lets existing prosthetic hands relay a sense of temperature
There are now a number of high-tech gloves that deliver tactile sensations to VR users’ fingertips when they touch virtual objects or surfaces. The Phantom glove is unique, however, in that it doesn’t cover the fingers, leaving them free for real-world… Continue reading Phantom VR glove delivers a sense of touch, but leaves fingers free
Researchers have developed an ultrathin electronic tattoo capable of reproducing the localized sensation of touch in its wearer. The device has the potential to be used to manufacture lightweight, portable haptic displays and devices for healthcare and… Continue reading Ultrathin electronic tattoo puts haptic feedback at users fingertips
While there are a number of optical systems that provide robotic hands with a sense of touch, most of those systems are flat, so they’re confined to the fingertips. A new MIT system, however, works along the entire length of each finger.Continue Readin… Continue reading GelSight Svelte tech gives robotic fingers a full-length sense of touch
In order to keep from accidentally hurting their human coworkers, many industrial robots have sensors that detect physical contact with people or other objects. Scientists have now devised a high-tech sweater which brings this functionality to robots t… Continue reading Scientists give robots a sense of touch – by knitting them a sweater