Sensation of touch created by fake skin

Wireless ‘skin’ that can be linked up to computers to transmit the sensation of touch to users has been developed by scientists.

A child calls her grandfather on Skype. She touches the screen, and the action is translated into a stroke on his arm. An amputee picks up an object with his prosthesis. He “feels” its shape as a sensation on his upper arm.

Both these scenarios may soon be possible thanks to a wireless “skin” that can be linked up to computers to transmit ­sensation. The device, described in the journal Nature, is the most advanced and compact system of its type, requiring no wires or external power.

The scientists behind it said they hoped it could be used to augment virtual reality systems, allowing people to feel as well as see and hear.

It could have applications ranging from the trivial, such as giving gamers feedback from where they are shot, to the profound. For people with prosthetic limbs, a regular sensation elsewhere on their body when using the limb could lead to ­adaptations in their brain that allow them to “feel” its action.

Previous attempts to create similar artificial feedback devices have resulted in bulky equipment with wires and electrodes.

The new system is powered wirelessly using electromagnetic waves, and involves flexible layers of electronics that can stick to the skin. Within this is an array of cells consisting of a magnet and an electromagnet.

When a current passes through the electromagnet, the magnet vibrates.

The international team behind the work said touch was an underused sense in virtual and augmented reality.

“In comparison to the eyes and the ears, the skin is a relatively ­underexplored sensory interface for VR and AR technology that could … greatly enhance experiences at a qualitative level,” the team said.

The Times