3D-printed invention sends sensations within the virtual world.

A new technology called Skinterface allows people to touch in the virtual realm, which could add a new dimension to remote sex.

Skinterface is a system of magnet-based nodes attached to a set of gloves or a full body suit. The nodes put pressure on the body as they receive electronic signals, creating a sense of feeling.

A computer tracks the nodes on a 3D map and controls the sensations. Each node is independent and can apply different types of feelings, so the technology can create all sorts of experiences.

It only works in one direction at the moment, but an extension could allow two people using Skinterface to virtually touch each other at the same time, for virtual cuddling, kissing, or sex.

A library of Skinterface experiences

Four Masters students at the Royal College of Art in London—Andre McQueen, Charlotte Furet, George Wright, and Ka Hei Suen—developed the technology as part of their final year project.

They suggest people could build “libraries” of predesigned virtual experiences.

For example, a predesigned program based on sex could set up fully immersive virtual reality pornography, where users experience the sensations of sex as well as the sights and sounds in virtual reality.

The actual Skinterface nodes are created at research university Imperial College London.

Image source: Charlotte Furet