Wearable Fabric Electrotactile System with Stimulation–Inhibition Electrode Units

Hongbo Yao; Delong Li; Wenjun Zhang; Qiwei Xiong; Yuhe Luo; Chuhang Lin; Jiyu Wang; Jialong Liu; Mingyu Tan; Xijie Wu; Yuanjun Ma; Yihuan Lin; Qingao Hu; Tao Huang; Lin Shu; Lei Wei; Xinge Yu; Xiangmin Xu

doi:10.34133/cbsystems.0515

Wearable Fabric Electrotactile System with Stimulation–Inhibition Electrode Units

Hongbo Yao
, Delong Li
, Wenjun Zhang
, Qiwei Xiong
, Yuhe Luo
, Chuhang Lin
, Jiyu Wang
, Jialong Liu
, Mingyu Tan
, Xijie Wu
, Yuanjun Ma
, Yihuan Lin
, Qingao Hu
, Tao Huang
, Lin Shu^*
, Lei Wei^*
, Xinge Yu^*
, Xiangmin Xu^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Research output: Journal Publications and Reviews › RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal › peer-review

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Abstract

Tactile feedback is crucial for enhancing the virtual-reality (VR) interaction experience. However, current electrotactile devices suffer from issues such as current diffusion and electrode crosstalk, limiting spatial accuracy. To address this challenge, we designed a fabric-based ultrathin flexible microelectrode array with novel stimulation–inhibition electrode units that reduces current diffusion and improves focusing, improving tactile feedback accuracy and clarity. Additionally, we developed an electrical tactile interaction evaluation system to quantitatively assess the tactile recognition accuracy and reaction time of 30 participants. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed electrode structure and evaluation system substantially enhance tactile perception in VR environments. This system has been demonstrated through immersive scenarios such as touching running water, stroking a bird’s forehead, and feeling a cactus, highlighting its potential for providing precise tactile feedback and enhancing personalized human–computer interaction in VR. Copyright © 2026 Hongbo Yao et al.

Original language	English
Article number	0515
Journal	Cyborg and Bionic Systems
Volume	7
Online published	1 Apr 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.34133/cbsystems.0515
Publication status	Published - 2026

Funding

Funding: This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2022YFB4500600) and the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province (No. 2023B0303040001). Author contributions: Conceptualization: H.Y., L.S., and L.W. Investigation: H.Y., D.L., and W.Z. Hardware fabrication: Q.X., H.Y., and J.L. Software and code: Y. Luo, J.W., X.W., and Y.M. Circuit board: C.L., Q.H., and Y. Lin. Finite element analysis: M.T. and T.H. Supervision: L.S., L.W., X.Y., and X.X. Writing: H.Y., J.L., Y. Luo, C.L., and L.W. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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This full text is made available under CC-BY 4.0. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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title = "Wearable Fabric Electrotactile System with Stimulation–Inhibition Electrode Units",

abstract = "Tactile feedback is crucial for enhancing the virtual-reality (VR) interaction experience. However, current electrotactile devices suffer from issues such as current diffusion and electrode crosstalk, limiting spatial accuracy. To address this challenge, we designed a fabric-based ultrathin flexible microelectrode array with novel stimulation–inhibition electrode units that reduces current diffusion and improves focusing, improving tactile feedback accuracy and clarity. Additionally, we developed an electrical tactile interaction evaluation system to quantitatively assess the tactile recognition accuracy and reaction time of 30 participants. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed electrode structure and evaluation system substantially enhance tactile perception in VR environments. This system has been demonstrated through immersive scenarios such as touching running water, stroking a bird{\textquoteright}s forehead, and feeling a cactus, highlighting its potential for providing precise tactile feedback and enhancing personalized human–computer interaction in VR. Copyright {\textcopyright} 2026 Hongbo Yao et al.",

author = "Hongbo Yao and Delong Li and Wenjun Zhang and Qiwei Xiong and Yuhe Luo and Chuhang Lin and Jiyu Wang and Jialong Liu and Mingyu Tan and Xijie Wu and Yuanjun Ma and Yihuan Lin and Qingao Hu and Tao Huang and Lin Shu and Lei Wei and Xinge Yu and Xiangmin Xu",

year = "2026",

doi = "10.34133/cbsystems.0515",

language = "English",

volume = "7",

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T1 - Wearable Fabric Electrotactile System with Stimulation–Inhibition Electrode Units

AU - Yao, Hongbo

AU - Li, Delong

AU - Zhang, Wenjun

AU - Xiong, Qiwei

AU - Luo, Yuhe

AU - Lin, Chuhang

AU - Wang, Jiyu

AU - Liu, Jialong

AU - Tan, Mingyu

AU - Wu, Xijie

AU - Ma, Yuanjun

AU - Lin, Yihuan

AU - Hu, Qingao

AU - Huang, Tao

AU - Shu, Lin

AU - Wei, Lei

AU - Yu, Xinge

AU - Xu, Xiangmin

PY - 2026

Y1 - 2026

N2 - Tactile feedback is crucial for enhancing the virtual-reality (VR) interaction experience. However, current electrotactile devices suffer from issues such as current diffusion and electrode crosstalk, limiting spatial accuracy. To address this challenge, we designed a fabric-based ultrathin flexible microelectrode array with novel stimulation–inhibition electrode units that reduces current diffusion and improves focusing, improving tactile feedback accuracy and clarity. Additionally, we developed an electrical tactile interaction evaluation system to quantitatively assess the tactile recognition accuracy and reaction time of 30 participants. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed electrode structure and evaluation system substantially enhance tactile perception in VR environments. This system has been demonstrated through immersive scenarios such as touching running water, stroking a bird’s forehead, and feeling a cactus, highlighting its potential for providing precise tactile feedback and enhancing personalized human–computer interaction in VR. Copyright © 2026 Hongbo Yao et al.

AB - Tactile feedback is crucial for enhancing the virtual-reality (VR) interaction experience. However, current electrotactile devices suffer from issues such as current diffusion and electrode crosstalk, limiting spatial accuracy. To address this challenge, we designed a fabric-based ultrathin flexible microelectrode array with novel stimulation–inhibition electrode units that reduces current diffusion and improves focusing, improving tactile feedback accuracy and clarity. Additionally, we developed an electrical tactile interaction evaluation system to quantitatively assess the tactile recognition accuracy and reaction time of 30 participants. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed electrode structure and evaluation system substantially enhance tactile perception in VR environments. This system has been demonstrated through immersive scenarios such as touching running water, stroking a bird’s forehead, and feeling a cactus, highlighting its potential for providing precise tactile feedback and enhancing personalized human–computer interaction in VR. Copyright © 2026 Hongbo Yao et al.

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M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal

SN - 2097-1087

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JO - Cyborg and Bionic Systems

JF - Cyborg and Bionic Systems

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ER -

Wearable Fabric Electrotactile System with Stimulation–Inhibition Electrode Units

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