Untethered Feel‐Through Haptics Using 18‐µm Thick Dielectric Elastomer Actuators

Head‐mounted displays for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) allow users to see highly realistic virtual worlds. The wearable haptics that enable feeling and touching these virtual objects are typically bulky, tethered, and provide only low fidelity feedback. A particularly challenging type of wearable human‐machine interface is feel‐through haptics: ultra‐thin wearables so soft as to be mechanically imperceptible when turned off, yet generating sufficient force when actuated to make virtual objects feel tangible, or to change the perceived texture of a physical object. Here, 18 µm thick soft dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA), directly applied on the skin, reports rich vibrotactile feedback generation from 1 Hz to 500 Hz. Users correctly identifies different frequency and sequence patterns with success rates from 73 to 97% for devices applied on their fingertips. An untethered version weighing only 1.3 grams allowed blindfolded users to correctly identify letters by “seeing” them through their fingers. The silicone‐based DEA membrane is mechanically transparent, enabling wearable haptics for the many applications where hand dexterity is critical. The feel‐through DEA can be placed in array format anywhere on the body.