Low-voltage wearable tactile display with thermo-pneumatic actuation

Mazzotta, A, Taccola, S ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6959-5813, Cesini, I, Sanchez Sifuentes, M, Harris, RA ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3425-7969 and Mattoli, V (2025) Low-voltage wearable tactile display with thermo-pneumatic actuation. Npj Flexible Electronics, 9. 70.

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Abstract

Tactile displays often face challenges like high power consumption, bulky control systems, and limited portability, hindering their application in wearable technologies. This work presents a novel thermo-pneumatic tactile display that operates via localized heating of a small air volume, enabling low-voltage operation with standard batteries. Its fully portable design integrates control electronics into a wearable bracelet with Bluetooth activation, enhancing practicality. Mechanical tests demonstrated the device’s ability to generate forces exceeding 30 mN and displacements of tens of microns using pulsed signals with modulable durations and frequencies. User tests with voluntary participants confirmed its effectiveness as a tactile display, achieving 83% accuracy in recognizing Braille patterns. By addressing key limitations of traditional systems, this approach offers a promising solution for compact, low-power wearable tactile interfaces.