Back in 2019, we heard how a team co-led by Northwestern University's Prof. John A. Rogers developed a prototype device known as an "epidermal VR" patch. It took the form of a thin, soft, flexible and slightly-tacky elastomer membrane containing an array of wirelessly-powered, wirelessly-controlled, disc-shaped electronic actuators.

When the 15-by-15-cm (5.9-inch) patch was temporarily adhered to the skin, the actuators could be individually triggered to vibrate, replicating the sensation of being lightly touched in a given pattern. Rogers and colleagues have now taken that concept a step further.