At the tail end of 2021, Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook and CEO of Meta, announced that his team was working on a product called ReSkin, a haptic, deformable skin-like wearable made specifically for metaverse applications. According to the announcement, the new product was being developed in partnership with scientists from Carnegie Mellon University.
The 3-millimeter thick "robot skin" utilizes magnetic particles and sensors to feed touch-based data to an AI software, which can understand the force of touch applied to a surface, in addition to other information. The company says that the AI software has been trained on 100 different human touches in order to ensure it can understand how changes in ReSkin's magnetic fields relate to touch.
“We designed a high-res touch sensor and worked with Carnegie Mellon to create a thin robot skin,″ wrote Zuckerberg in the announcement made by Facebook. “This brings us one step closer to realistic virtual objects and physical interactions in the metaverse.”
Image Credit: Facebook
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Haptic Wearables
- The development of ReSkin highlights a trend towards the creation of haptic wearables that provide touch-based data to AI software.
- Deformable Wearables
- The use of deformable materials in wearable technology, such as the ReSkin, enables a more natural and intuitive interaction with virtual environments.
- Virtual Interaction Tech
- As more companies work towards developing metaverse applications, there is a growing trend towards creating technology, like ReSkin, that enables realistic virtual objects and physical interactions.
Where This Applies
- Virtual Reality
- The development of ReSkin by Facebook/Meta is indicative of the continued growth of the VR industry, creating new opportunities for more immersive and interactive experiences.
- Artificial Intelligence
- The integration of haptic wearables with AI software, such as in the ReSkin, has the potential to revolutionize how machines gather and interpret touch-based data.
- Wearable Technology
- The use of deformable materials in wearables, like the ReSkin, represents a disruptive innovation opportunity for the wearable tech industry, providing new ways for users to interact with technology.
