KnitDermis Wearables Provide "Intimate" Tactile Feedback — From Machine-Knitted Fabric

Researchers at Cornell University's Hybrid Body Lab have unveiled KnitDermis, a knitted tactile on-body interface designed to offer haptic feedback without the use of vibration motors — and they're knitted together by machines.

"We present KnitDermis, on-body interfaces that deliver expressive non-vibrating mechanotactile feedback on the wearer's body," the teams explain of the project. "Fabricated through machine knitting, they embed shape-memory alloy micro-springs in knitted channels, which deliver tactile sensations on the skin when activated."

"KnitDermis interfaces take advantage of machine knitting’s shaping properties which allow it to generate slim, stretchable, and versatile forms that can conform to under-explored body locations, such as protruded joints and convex body locations."

Where most wearable haptic feedback systems concentrate on vibration or a physical impact, KnitDermis is different: It delivers tactile sensations including compression, brushing, pinching, and twisting, by deforming the actual material itself using shape-memory alloy micro-springs contained in knitted channels.

"Our user study experiment demonstrates the effectiveness and comfort of KnitDermis interfaces worn on a range of body locations," the team writes in conclusion. "Our semi-structured interviews highlight how the gradual movement of the interfaces made them feel 'life-like' and 'intimate.'"

"By bridging the realms of textile knitting and haptic interfaces, we shed light on the rich opportunities for knitting as a soft approach for crafting expressive, enchanting, and novel tactile interfaces."

The KnitDermis paper is available under open access terms on the Hybrid Body Lab publications page, following its presentation at the ACM Designing Interactive Systems (DIS) 2021 conference, with more information on the project homepage.