Smart glove enhances your sense of touch in virtual reality

Stimulating nerves on the back of your hand makes it feel like you are grasping things in VR without needing to have your palms covered in material

By Alex Wilkins

13 May 2023

A smart glove that zaps the back of your hand makes it feel like you are grasping objects in virtual reality, by sending electrical signals to nerves in your palms.

To accompany the visual experience of holding something in VR, people often wear gloves that provide feedback directly to the palm, like vibrations or electrical signals. But gloves can also dull finger sensation, making it harder to perform dexterous tasks when wearing a VR headset.

Now, Yudai Tanaka at the University of Chicago and his colleagues have developed a device that uses a web of electrodes on the backs …

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