Engineers at Northwestern University have developed the first haptic device to achieve “human resolution,” meaning it accurately matches the sensing ability of the human fingertip.
The ultra-thin, lightweight, flexible, wearable device, called VoxeLite, mimics touch sensations with the same clarity, detail and speed that skin naturally detects. Like a bandage, the device gently wraps around a fingertip to give the digital touch the same realism people now expect from today’s screens and speakers.
By combining high spatial resolution with a comfortable, portable form factor, VoxeLite can transform the way people interact with digital environments, including more immersive virtual reality systems, assistive technologies for people with visual impairments, human-robot interfaces and enhanced touchscreens.
The research was published in the journal Scientific progress.
“Touch is the last great sense without a true digital interface,” says Northwestern’s Sylvia Tan, who led the study. “We have technologies that make things look and sound real. Now we want to make textures and tactile sensations feel real. Our device moves the field toward that goal. We also designed it to be comfortable, so people can wear them for long periods of time without having to take them off to do other tasks. It’s like people wearing glasses all day and not even thinking about them.”
“This work represents a major scientific breakthrough in the field of haptics by introducing a technology that achieves ‘human resolution’ for the first time,” said J. Edward Colgate, Northwestern senior author, Haptics Pioneer. “It has the ability to present haptic information to the skin at both the spatial and temporal resolution of the sensory system.”
Colgate is the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick School of Engineering and director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center on Human AugmentatioN via Dexterity (HAND). Colgate and co-senior author Michael Peshkin, the Allen K. and Johnnie Cordell Breed Senior Professor of Design and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at McCormick, have been collaborating and pioneering the field of haptic technology for many years. Tan is a Ph.D. student at Northwestern’s Center for Robotics and Biosystems, where she is advised by Colgate and Peshkin.
Despite decades of progress in high-definition video and lifelike audio, digital touch has stubbornly lagged behind. Current haptic feedback – usually simple smartphone vibrations – cannot convey the rich, detailed information that the fingertips naturally perceive. This is partly because the spatial and temporal resolution of skin is notoriously difficult to simulate.
“Think of very old movies, when the frames per second were very low, making motion look jerky. That’s because of the low temporal resolution,” Colgate said. “Or think of early computer screens where images were pixelated. That’s low spatial resolution. Today, both of these problems have been solved for graphical displays. For tactile displays, however, they are far from solved. In fact, very few researchers have even attempted to address them both together.”
Here’s an exclusive Technical briefs interview, edited for length and clarity, with Tan.
Technical briefs: What was the biggest technical challenge you faced while developing VoxeLite?
Tanning: Finding the right materials and manufacturing method that can meet all the demands we placed on the device.
Technical briefs: Can you explain in simple terms how it works?
Tanning: VoxeLite consists of a series of small points that move independently. As you move your finger, we carefully monitor how each point adheres to the surface and stretches the skin on your fingertip. These movements take place at very high speeds, allowing us to create the sensations of different icons or textures.
Technical briefs: The article I read says: “For future versions of the device, the Northwestern team envisions a technology that could interface with smartphones and tablets…” My question is: Do you have any firm plans for such further research/work/etc.? If not, what are your next steps?
Tanning: Our next steps are to conduct psychophysical experiments to better understand how humans perceive the tactile information that VoxeLite can transmit.
Technical briefs: Do you have any advice for researchers who want to turn their ideas into reality?
Tanning: Be clear about your goals, but flexible with your plans. I create as many prototypes as possible, adapt to each failure and remind myself that difficulties are temporary and that the goals are worth pursuing.
#VoxeLite #Helping #users #feel #digital #world