New tactile patch turns flat screens into lifelike textures with human-level accuracy

Northwestern University engineers have built the first haptic device that reaches human resolution in touch. The ultra-thin wearable, called VoxeLite, recreates tactile sensations with clarity that matches the human fingertip. The team presented it as a comfortable, fingertip-wrapping interface that could shift how people use digital environments. Haptic gap narrows Researchers have long pushed visual and audio systems to near-perfect fidelity.

Touch lagged behind. Most devices still rely on coarse vibrations. Northwestern’s team targeted this problem by reproducing both the spatial and temporal detail of real touch. “Touch is the last major sense without a true digital interface,” said Sylvia Tan, who led the work.

She said the team wants textures and tactile sensations to feel real. Tan added that the device remains comfortable for long use, comparing it to wearing glasses. Her co-author J. Edward Colgate framed the work as a major step.

“This work represents a major scientific breakthrough in the field of haptics by introducing, for the first time, a technology that achieves ‘human resolution,’” he said. He noted that it matches the sensory system’s spatial and temporal limits. The field struggled because skin reacts quickly and distinguishes tiny details. Low temporal resolution feels jerky.

Low spatial resolution feels blurry. Many researchers avoided solving both together. Colgate said earlier haptic attempts were large and complex. VoxeLite weighs less than a gram.

How VoxeLite works The device uses a grid of small nodes embedded in a thin, stretchable latex sheet. Each node acts like a tactile pixel. A rubber dome, a conductive layer, and an internal electrode create electroadhesion when powered. Earlier systems from the same team used electroadhesion to change the friction on screens.

VoxeLite advances that idea by controlling mechanical force. Each node grips a surface and tilts to press into the skin. Higher voltage increases friction and creates rough sensations. Lower voltage reduces friction to simulate smooth surfaces.

Users swipe the device against grounded screens to feel these virtual patterns. Tan researched how closely to pack nodes. She found that spacing under one millimeter merges sensations into one point. Wider spacing reduces detail.

The optimal design matches natural fingertip acuity. The densest layout places nodes about one millimeter apart. User testing used 1.6 millimeters. VoxeLite supports two modes.

In active mode, nodes tilt rapidly to generate virtual textures. They move up to 800 times per second, covering the full frequency range of touch receptors. In tests, participants recognized directional cues with up to 87 percent accuracy. They also identified fabrics like leather and corduroy with 81 percent accuracy.

In passive mode, the device blends into daily use. It stays thin and soft, so it never blocks normal touch. Users can switch between real and digital interactions without removing it. The team envisions pairing VoxeLite with phones or tablets.

Future devices could let shoppers feel fabrics online or support tactile maps for vision impairments. Tan said the work stands out by joining spatial resolution, temporal fidelity, and wearability. She added that the team now studies how people perceive these signals. The study is published in the journal Science Advances.