New haptic technology adds sense of touch to virtual reality
US scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) have developed a wearable system that enables more natural and emotionally engaging interactions in shared digital spaces, opening new possibilities for remote work, education, healthcare and beyond.
Touch plays an important role in how humans communicate and bond. From infancy through to adulthood, physical contact helps foster emotional bonds, build trust and regulate stress. Yet in today’s increasingly digital world, where screens mediate many of our relationships, it is often missing.
To bridge the gap, researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering have developed a wearable haptic system that lets users exchange physical gestures in virtual reality and feel them in real time, even when they are far apart.
For the full story, see the August 2025 edition of Smart Textiles & Wearables.
Photo: Premankur Banerjee/University of Southern California