Wearable triboelectric devices for haptic perception and VR/AR applications

Virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) bridges the gap between fictitious and physical environments and is widely used in myriad forms. However, conventional rigid VR/AR systems exhibit poor compatibility with human bodies, and immersive experience needs to be extended with haptic stimuli beyond visual or auditory means. Among various solutions for the innovation of body-worn VR/AR systems, the triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are rising as promising candidates, showing remarkable features and performance such as flexibility, lightweight, self-power, and high sensitivity even under mechanical stimuli of tiny amplitudes. With a wide selection of functional materials and innovative structural designs, TENGs serve as pressure, rotation, and strain sensors for haptic perception covering tactile and kinesthetic actions. By leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches, TENGs are capable of discriminating complicated movement patterns in applications like remote sensing, wearable robotics control, and human-machine interactions. Based on these unique characteristics, TENGs are expected to offer natural and practical VR/AR experiences. This paper reports the state-of-the-art literature related to wearable triboelectric devices for haptic perception and VR/AR systems, summarizing the fundamental theory, device design, characteristics, and promising applications. In addition, future perspectives and limitations involved in this emerging field are also discussed.