Fold it, hold it

Zhang Zhuang, a member of Jiang's team and a postdoctoral research associate at Westlake University, together with other team members, had a paper published online in Nature Machine Intelligence on May 29, titled Active Mechanical Haptics with High-fidelity Perception for Immersive Virtual Reality, introducing their recent research breakthrough.

In contrast to the typical reliance on visual and auditory cues, with this novel device, the incorporation of touch amplifies the realism of the virtual scenario, allowing for a more immersive and engaging experience.

According to Zhang, Jiang brought up the idea of developing an active mechanical haptic device applying the principle of origami at the end of 2021.

The hand module is the result, Zhang says.

The handheld device, shaped like a ball, has five positions, each corresponding to a finger. Under each position, there are two plastic sheets that are folded like crosses, which can be twisted by a motor.

Once they are pressed vertically, the feedback from the rebound of the plastic sheets will be different, depending on the angle between the curved panels. This change in tactile sensation is transmitted to the brain, which then makes judgments about whether the object being touched is cotton, wood or a steel ball, Zhang explains.

The foot-mat device works in a similar way but uses multiple steel plates arranged in a matrix pattern. Changing the angles of the folded plates makes the device stiffer or softer.

The handheld device can currently simulate the feeling of touching a soft ball, an elastic ball, a wooden ball, and the sensation of crushing an eggshell and the foot device can give people the feeling of walking on a hard surface, grass or ice, according to Zhang.