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Thermo‐Haptic Materials and Devices for Wearable Virtual and Augmented Reality
Author(s) -
Lee Jinwoo,
Kim Dongkwan,
Sul Heayoun,
Ko Seung Hwan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.202007376
Subject(s) - haptic technology , augmented reality , wearable computer , virtual reality , human–computer interaction , wearable technology , computer science , field (mathematics) , multimedia , simulation , embedded system , mathematics , pure mathematics
The current generation of virtual and augmented realities (VR/AR) has substantially advanced in the past decade because of the rapid development of converging technologies in various engineering and scientific fields. However, the current VR/AR technologies rely mainly on visual and auditory senses to physically replicate the virtual environment, although tactile senses play a significant role in the daily life since a myriad of tactile information is received through physical touch. Of the tactile senses, thermal senses are of great importance to be reproduced in the VR/AR field, since heat is transferred constantly and further interact with the surrounding environment. To date, there has been a huge amount of research studies on functional materials, thermo‐haptic devices, and wearable electronics that have all converged to form the fundamental groundwork for the development of wearable thermal VR/AR devices. In this progress report, a review on various physical mechanisms and research is provided that can potentially be applied in the next generation of thermal VR/AR technologies and discuss the essential challenges that need to be addressed.