Patches You Wear, Will Let You Feel The Virtual World

This will always be used for wholesome reasons, we’re sure. Researchers at Northwestern University have created a new, super-thin wearable device called a haptic patch that lets you feel touch in virtual reality or other digital settings. This patch is flexible, sticks to your skin like a bandage, and can send different feelings like vibrations, pressure, or twisting. Unlike older, bulky haptic devices, this one is soft and moves with your body, making it comfy to wear. It uses tiny electronic parts controlled by a smartphone to make precise sensations, like feeling a virtual object’s texture.

The team tested it on volunteers who could tell apart different shapes and motions, like a square or a poke, with 96% accuracy. This tech could make VR games more real, help people with disabilities feel digital signals, or improve robot-assisted surgeries. The researchers are now working to make it even smaller and wireless for everyday use.