A new wearable technology called “epidermal VR” uses miniaturized actuators to deliver controlled forces across large areas of the skin. The device comprises a hexagonal array of 19 small magnetic actuators encapsulated within a thin, flexible silicone-mesh material. It uses Bluetooth technology in a smartphone to translate data about a person’s surroundings for translation into tactile feedback. Although the device is powered by a small battery, it saves energy using a clever “bistable” design. The idea was to use the energy stored in skin mechanically as elastic energy and recover that during the operation of the device. With only a short period of training, subjects using the device were able to change behavior in real time.
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