While technology has come a long way in what we see and hear (ultra-HD screens, surround sound), what we touch in the digital world has lagged somewhat behind. Until now, most haptic interfaces (those that allow us to “feel” digitally) simply vibrate, or generate basic effects. But A team of scientists at Northwestern University has taken a giant step forward with a device called VoxeLite.which aims to provide tactile sensations with a resolution similar to that of human fingers.
VoxeLite is a kind of thin, flexible patch composed of thousands of “haptic nodes” distributed in an ultra-thin fabric. Each of these nodes acts as a “touch pixel”: Through electro-adhesion and/or small mechanical forces (tilts, localized pressure) on the skin of the finger, it can simulate textures, edges, roughness or smooth surfaces.
For example, when the device activates more force/friction on a set of nodes, the user may feel a “rough” surface. If friction is reduced, that surface feels “slippery” or smooth. The nodes are placed with densities of the order of 1 millimeter between them. to achieve the “human resolution” that fingers need to distinguish fine details.
The system operates at high frequencies (it updates up to about 800 times per second) and with very fast response times so that the digital touch experience is fluid and natural. The implications of such technology are enormous. VoxeLite would allow us to “touch” textures of clothing, materials or surfaces from home, and the screen would “allow us to feel” if something is leather, velvet or linen.
People with visual impairments could benefit from “feelable” interfaces with differentiated textures, dynamic tactile maps, and richer haptic cues. In virtual and augmented reality, along with high-quality optics and sound, touch becomes the missing piece for complete immersive experiences.
In robotics and telemanipulation: when an operator controls a robot remotely, could “feel” what the robot touches through this haptic interface, which improves precision and control. Something similar happens with medicine, a discipline in which it will be possible not only to see, but also to feel tissues, organs, procedures, or delicate textures.
Although the results of the study, published in Science Advances, already show a functional device (users indicated an 87% success rate), there are challenges ahead and it has to pass the laboratory stage to be able to be on the market. as well as ensure VoxeLite is comfortable, reliable and safe for long-term use and compatible with various devices: from smartphones to giant screens, or multifunctional panels.
As researcher Sylvia Tan, who led the project, stated: “Touch is the last great sense that lacks a true digital interface – explains Sylvia Tan, leader of the responsible team, in a statement -. This work represents an important scientific advance in the field of haptics by introducing, for the first time, a technology that achieves “human resolution.”