Ultra-light Gloves Allow You To “Touch” Virtual Objects

In VR, you can now touch. Does that mean you can be touched too? #Neuromancer

Another glimpse at the unbelievable future - gloves weighing less than 8 grams which allow you to “touch” objects in virtual reality by providing haptic feedback. They can theoretically be powered by a battery too.

From the article:

“DextrES is made of cotton with thin elastic metal strips running over the fingers. The strips are separated by a thin insulator. When the user’s fingers come into contact with a virtual object, the controller applies a voltage difference between the metal strips causing them to stick together via electrostatic attraction — this produces a braking force that blocks the finger’s or thumb’s movement. Once the voltage is removed, the metal strips glide smoothly and the user can once again move his fingers freely.”

Of course, once the technology is capable enough, there is enough demand for the technology and the price of manufacturing becomes affordable enough, we can expect full body suits that allow us to move freely in virtual space. I can’t help but also think of the possibilities when combining this technology with robotics.

Full article from ETH Zurich is here.