Scientists have created a new haptic glove that lets users touch, grab and manipulate virtual objects as if they were real and tactile.

DextrES, the glove created by scientists at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH Zurich), is just 2mm thick and with the equipment weighing only 8 grams per finger, The lightweight device only needs a small battery supplying 200 Volts in order to generate up to 40 Newtons of holding force on each finger. Without any bulky exoskeleton and thick cables, it enables movement with a high degree of freedom and precision.

DextrES is made of nylon with thin elastic metal strips running over the fingers. The strips are separated by a thin insulator. Once the user's fingers come into contact with a virtual object, the controller applies a difference in voltage between metal strips, causing them to stick together via electrostatic attraction. This produces a braking force that blocks the finger's movement. Once user’s fingers move away from the virtual object, the metal strips glide smoothly and the user can move his fingers freely again.

Researchers explained the difficulties in creating the device. "The human sensory system is highly developed and complex. We have many different kinds of receptors at a very high density in the joints of our fingers and embedded in the skin. How to achieve tactility when interacting with virtual objects is a big challenge” said Otmar Hilliges, head of the Advanced Interactive Technologies Lab at ETH Zurich.

The research team will scale up the device and apply it to other parts of the body using conductive fabric. Potential applications include gaming and healthcare, such as for training surgeons.