Touch

Touch is a vital sense in human survival and experience, yet not all touch is equal. Men have less touch sensitivity than women, which comes down to biology. Using biomechanics, scientists have found that you can hack nature with hyaluronic acid.

When we’re given a choice about where we want to be touched, the touch is significantly more pleasurable, a new study has found. The findings have implications for interpersonal relationships, communication, health and well-being.

Human-machine interfaces such as phone screens would be a lot cleaner and longer-lasting if we didn't have to touch them. Scientists have now created a proximity-sensing film which makes such a scenario more possible and practical than ever before.

A sensor that can accurately recognize and distinguish objects up to 10 centimeters – about four inches – away without needing to touch them physically has been developed. It could provide a new level of sensitivity to biorobotics.

There are already a number of experimental prosthetic hands that provide users with the tactile sensation of touching an object. The MiniTouch system takes things further, as it allows users to sense the temperature of items that they're touching.

There are now a number of gloves that deliver tactile sensations to VR users' fingertips when they touch virtual objects. The Phantom glove is unique, however, in that it doesn't cover the fingers, leaving them free for real-world interactions.

Researchers have developed an ultrathin electronic tattoo capable of reproducing the localized sensation of touch in its wearer. The device has the potential to be used to manufacture haptic displays and devices for healthcare and robotics.

While there are a number of optical systems that provide robotic hands with a sense of touch, most of those systems are flat, so they're confined to the fingertips. A new MIT system, however, works along the entire length of each finger.

In order to keep from hurting their human coworkers, many robots have sensors that detect contact with people or other objects. Scientists have now devised a high-tech sweater which brings this functionality to robots that don't have it already.

Last year we heard about an "electronic skin" developed at City University of Hong Kong, which delivers tactile sensations to wearers. The university has now gone one better, with an e-skin that both senses and reproduces users' touches.

While technology is making strides in absorbing our eyes and ears in virtual worlds, it’s harder to engage senses like touch. Engineers have now developed WeTac, a thin, wearable electronic "skin" that provides tactile feedback to users in VR and AR.

A touch-sensitive protein normally located in the skin has now been found in the gut. It senses the presence of food and triggers contractions to push it along, while reduced levels of this protein may be implicated in conditions like constipation.