Ultra-thin tattoo developed to give tactile sensation

News

An ultra-thin wearable device capable of reproducing the localised sensation of touch has been developed by ITT, the Italian Institute of Technology.

Italian Institute of Technology

Touch is a fundamental sense, and touching the surrounding environment and perceiving tactile sensations from external stimuli is an almost fully automatic skill, fundamental to perform several daily tasks.

IIT researchers recognised that replicating tactile sensations in artificial wearable devices could find multiple important uses, such as reproducing sensory feedback in amputees using a robotic limb, controlling teleoperated robots with a higher precision, providing information to blind people through ‘Braille displays’, or as interfaces in virtual environments and gaming, enhancing user’s immersive experience.

Developed by IIT researchers Arianna Mazzotta and Virgilio Mattoli, the prototype technology is an electronic temporary tattoo a few micrometres thick that is designed to arouse a tactile sensation on skin in contact with the device through thermal, electrical and mechanical stimulation.

Consisting of a silver electrode printed on tattoo paper, researchers said the device can be easily transferred directly on human skin by simply wetting it with some water.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address

nanotechnology
wearable device