A research team based at Saarland University and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) has created an ultrathin smart textile film that enables users to experience virtual touch, making immersive technologies such as virtual reality more immersive.
Professors Stefan Seelecke and Paul Motzki of the University will present the technology at Hannover Messe with a heartwarming use case of children in hospital wards using the technology to feel close to their loved ones.
The ultrathin films act as a sensory layer, using dielectric elastomers to detect touch and external inputs. They are being incorporated into textiles with high precision:
‘The films, known as dielectric elastomers, act both as sensors – detecting the tactile input from mum or dad – and as actuators – that transmit these movements to the child’ – Professors Stefan Seelecke.
Similarly, due to its lightweight and non-expensive nature, these films can make gaming more immersive, for example, in virtual reality settings. In industrial use cases, they could be used for engineering. Likewise, the technology is energy efficient, further saving costs.
Overall, smart textile technology presents more immersive and innovative use cases in the real world, all at a low cost. Virtual immersion through touch using this technology offers an exciting look at the future of our digital lives and how it will blend with our physical ones.
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