Augmented tactile-perception and haptic-feedback rings as human-machine interfaces aiming for immersive interactions

• Published in: Nature communications 2022-09, Vol.13 (1), p.5224-5224, Article 5224
• Main Authors: Sun, Zhongda, Zhu, Minglu, Shan, Xuechuan, Lee, Chengkuo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/166/987; 639/166/988; Artificial intelligence; Computer applications; Feedback; Haptics; Humanities and Social Sciences; Intelligence (information); Interfaces; Man-machine interfaces; multidisciplinary; Nichrome (trademark); Object recognition; Pattern recognition; Perception; Power consumption; Power management; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sensation; Space perception; Tactile sensors (robotics); Temperature perception; Vibrators; Virtual reality; Wearable technology
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32745-8

Advancements of virtual reality technology pave the way for developing wearable devices to enable somatosensory sensation, which can bring more comprehensive perception and feedback in the metaverse-based virtual society. Here, we propose augmented tactile-perception and haptic-feedback rings with multimodal sensing and feedback capabilities. This highly integrated ring consists of triboelectric and pyroelectric sensors for tactile and temperature perception, and vibrators and nichrome heaters for vibro- and thermo-haptic feedback. All these components integrated on the ring can be directly driven by a custom wireless platform of low power consumption for wearable/portable scenarios. With voltage integration processing, high-resolution continuous finger motion tracking is achieved via the triboelectric tactile sensor, which also contributes to superior performance in gesture/object recognition with artificial intelligence analysis. By fusing the multimodal sensing and feedback functions, an interactive metaverse platform with cross-space perception capability is successfully achieved, giving people a face-to-face like immersive virtual social experience. Current wearable solutions for Virtual Reality (VR) have limitations of complicated structures and large driven power. Here, the authors report a highly integrated ring consisting of multimodal sensing and feedback units for augmented interactions in metaverse.