New ‘Haptic Skin’ Could Make Virtual Sex More Intimate

Just imagine you could caress the body of your favorite adult film star.

We’ve already covered haptic hugs, which could bring long-distance couples closer in the near future. We’ve also reported on augmented reality porn, featuring holographic models capable of giving touch-feedback to the user. 

However, now haptic technology is making a huge step forward that has incredible erotic possibilities: it could make virtual sex even more realistic and intimate. 

A group of Swiss researchers created an artificial “haptic skin”

Last September, a group of researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne published a fascinating study in the scientific journal Soft Robotics. They invented a sort of artificial skin, capable of providing a hyper-realistic kind of haptic feedback.

The skin, called “soft pneumatic actuator” (SPA), is covered with electrodes, sensors, and actuators that make vibratory feedback possible. The prototype is so flexible that it can be extended up to four times its original size. Made from stretchy silicone, it can easily adapt to the shape of a finger or wrist. 

Additionally, it’s equipped with sensors that can detect deformations, i.e., the movements of the finger or wrist of the user. This means that, if it ever becomes a commercial product, it’ll be able to add a new layer of realism to the world of VR entertainment.

A powerful technology for both healthcare and entertainment

However, the researchers did not create this innovative haptic skin just for gamers and tech addicts. On the contrary, they hope that their invention could have a positive impact on healthcare. 

If everything goes right, the SPA skin could turn into a powerful rehabilitation tool, especially for people with impaired sensation. In addition, it could be used to test a patient’s proprioception in medical settings. 

Also, what if this innovative haptic skin enters the world of virtual sex? First of all, it would enable long-distance partners to exchange incredibly realistic virtual caresses. Imagine that you can feel your lover holding your hand from hundreds of miles away, rather than just tactile feedback from your teledildonic device!

Secondly, this new technology could bring lots of new possibilities in the world of interactive adult entertainment. With the haptic skin, the user would be able to feel the touch of his favorite performer or cam model all over his body. 

This would certainly make the whole experience more realistic, as if the model was so close to the user that he could grab her hips. 

Lastly, we think that haptic technologies could make the world of AR and VR porn less genital-centered, and more sensual. What if you could actually caress a virtual model’s whole body, rather than just thrusting inside a sex toy? 

Image sources: EPFL, capondesign