Korean researchers have developed a glove that allows the wearer to feel and handle objects in virtual reality.

The glove system connects the wearer to a virtual hand, which they can move around and guide to pick up objects in virtual reality and feel their shape.

When the user takes hold of a virtual object, it activates a set of soft silicone actuators that receive signals from the virtual reality environment. Air inside the silicon tubes move and expand so that the user’s fingertips sense the pressure of the expanded silicone as if they were touching the virtual object.

Demonstrations so far show users able to pick up objects, hold and move them in virtual space, and even receive information about the edges and textures of the virtual object.

“There are many gloves for virtual reality. However, their feedback is based on vibration. Mine is based on pressing,” says researcher Dr Youngsu Cha.

“For example, when a user grabs a virtual object, while conventional ones give vibration feedback, the proposed device pushes the skin of the fingertip.

“It is close to the real situation. Also, there are some gloves with pressure feedback. But their actuators are motorised and have a rigid structure. So, they are bulky and heavy.

“Although previously developed actuators were able to accurately reproduce the texture of virtual objects, they could not provide information about their shape.

“Ours is lightweight – enabling the wearer to feel the actual shape of an array of virtual objects.

Dr Cha, from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, says it could be turned into a commercial product “within a few years”.

The study is accessible here.