Voltage-controlled finger friction behavior for immersive tactile experience in aqueous environment

To mimicking fingers perceiving the physical world, researchers developed tactile devices to establish a correlation between real and virtual world. This study proposed a new finger friction modulation method based on voltage-controlled technique in aqueous environment. Under continuous or alternate voltages applied to TC4 plate, the effects of NaCl, KCl and CaCl2 on finger friction were characterized with different concentrations. The finger friction was reversibly modulated by the voltages with the maximum friction variation of 110%. This modulation is attributed to the adsorption of OH-, bubbles effect and formation of passive film which affected the boundary lubrication performance of finger-TC4 interface. This study provides a new surface haptics concept for the underwater human-computer interaction or immersive virtual reality haptic technology.