Touch&Fold is worn on a user’s fingernail and renders touch in MR without preventing them from also touching real objects.
Researchers from the University of Chicago have developed a foldable haptic feedback device that allows users to touch objects in mixed reality environments, then gets folded back onto the user’s nail when touching objects in the real world. Known as Touch&Fold, the end-effector also features a linear resonant actuator that lets the unit touch virtual objects and their textures. Sure, many haptic devices on the market enable users to interact with objects in the virtual world, such as controllers and gloves, but none provides the ability to interact with objects in both worlds and “feel” them at the same time.
