The new device lets you shake hands without awkwardness
British scientists have developed a device that can shake hands with another person. This way, we can avoid the initial contact, which can be awkward for some people. However, the goal of this invention is not to replace human interaction but to assist individuals.
5:13 PM EDT, September 19, 2024
Scientists from the United Kingdom claim their device can successfully simulate human touch. The prototype, worn on a finger, transmits impulses that stimulate the nerves responsible for the sense of touch.
The feeling of touch occurs in the person wearing the device on their finger. Through this device, they experience the sensation of touching another person, even though they are not actually doing so. In the future, this could help people who have lost sensation in their hands.
This is not the first such idea. The EU's Horizon 2020 program facilitated the TouchlessAI project. Its main component is a special console that produces haptic (touch) sensations, helping replicate contact with objects and people.
Will devices take over our sense of touch? In some areas, certainly
Thanks to such solutions, special platforms could enable the checking of a specific texture or material of clothing or other items. Artificially generated touch stimuli will certainly find use in the virtual reality world and could be an excellent addition to the experiences currently provided by VR technology.
