VR Researchers Have Basically Figured Out How to Simulate the Feel of Kisses

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Future Interfaces Group have modified an off-the-shelf virtual reality headset so that it recreates the sensation of touch in and around a user.

Most virtual reality devices ignore taste, smell, and touch, and instead focus on visuals and sounds. It's enough to make virtual reality experiences more compelling than they were decades ago, but not enough to fool the brain into thinking it's a real-life experience.

Researchers working to evolve and improve virtual reality hardware have come up with some truly unique hardware and accessories over the years to make virtual reality feel as real as it looks, but none truly reflect where virtual reality is inevitably going like the research being done at Carnegie Mellon University in regards to mouth haptics You might not be able to reach out and feel realistic fur on a virtual dog just yet, but experiencing the sensation of drinking from a virtual drinking fountain could be just around the corner.

The researchers upgraded a Meta Quest 2 headset with an array of transducers that are all focused on the user's mouth, and it works without the need for additional accessories, or other hardware set up around the wearer. We've seen Ultrasonic transducers used to levitate and move around tiny particles by blasting them with powerful sound waves before, but in this application, they create the feeling of touch on the user's lips, teeth, and even their tongue.

The transducers can do more. They can recreate the feeling of an object sliding across the lips or a constant splashing of water when leaning down to sip from a virtual drinking fountain by using specific patterns.