journal article·2026-01Open access

Wearable Haptic Feedback Interfaces for Augmenting Human Touch

Shubham Patel, Zhoulyu Rao, Maggie Yang, Cunjiang Yu

Advanced Functional Materials· Volume 36· Issue 6

Abstract

Abstract The rapid development of virtual and augmented reality has highlighted the growing need for haptic feedback interfaces, particularly in portable or wearable formats. These haptic feedback interfaces significantly enhance the immersive experiences of users across various domains, including social media, gaming, biomedical instrumentation, and robotics by utilizing sophisticated actuators to stimulate somatosensory receptors or afferent nerves beneath the skin, thereby creating tactile sensations. Despite the progress in various haptic feedback interfaces that employ diverse working mechanisms, each mode has limitations. This article comprehensively reviews the current state and potential opportunities of various haptic feedback interfaces with a particular focus on actuator technologies. Existing haptic feedback interfaces can be classified into three main categories: force‐based haptic feedback interfaces, thermal haptic feedback interfaces, and electrotactile haptic feedback interfaces.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Tactile and Sensory Interactions · Gaze Tracking and Assistive Technology · Interactive and Immersive Displays

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Materials Research laboratory University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign Urbana IL 61801 USA

Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics The Pennsylvania State University University Park PA 16802 USA

State College Area High School 650 Westerly Pkwy State College PA 16801 USA

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of Materials Science and Engineering Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering Department of Bioengineering Materials Research Laboratory Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology Nick Holonyak Micro and Nanotechnology Laboratory University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign Urbana IL 61801 USA

Funding

Office of Naval Research · National Science Foundation

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