Gutruf Contributes to ‘Epidermal VR’ Project

Imagine holding hands with a loved one on the other side of the world. Or feeling a pat on the back from a teammate in an online game.

Researchers in the Rogers Research Group at Northwestern University and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – where University of Arizona biomedical engineering assistant professor Philipp Gutruf served a postdoctoral fellowship from 2016 to 2018 – have developed a new thin, wireless system that adds a sense of touch to any virtual reality experience. Not only does this platform potentially add new dimensions to our long-distance relationships and entertainment, the technology also provides prosthetics with sensory feedback and imparts telemedicine with a human touch.

The research was published Nov. 21 in the journal Nature, with Gutruf among the co-authors.