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Vol. 17 (2025)

Thin and Flexible Breeze-Sense Generators for Non-Contact Haptic Feedback in Virtual Reality

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01670-y
Kaijun Zhang
Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, People’s Republic of China
Zhe Liu
Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, People’s Republic of China
Yexi Zhou
Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, People’s Republic of China
Zhaoyang Li
Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, People’s Republic of China
Dazhe Zhao
Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, People’s Republic of China
Xiao Guan
Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, People’s Republic of China
Tianjun Lan
Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, People’s Republic of China
Yanting Gong
Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, People’s Republic of China
Bingpu Zhou
Joint Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, People’s Republic of China
Junwen Zhong
Department of Electromechanical Engineering and Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, University of Macau, Macau SAR 999078, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Junwen Zhong

junwenzhong@um.edu.mo

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 17 (2025), Article Number: 144

Abstract

In the realm of virtual reality (VR), haptic feedback is integral to enhance the immersive experience; yet, existing wearable devices predominantly rely on skin contact feedback, lacking options for compact and non-contact breeze-sense feedback. Herein, we propose a compact and non-contact working model piezoelectret actuator for providing a gentle and safe breeze sensation. This easy-fabricated and flexible breeze-sense generator with thickness around 1 mm generates air flow pressure up to ~ 163 Pa, which is significantly sensed by human skin. In a typical demonstration, the breeze-sense generators array showcases its versatility by employing multiple coded modes for non-contact information transmitting. The thin thinness and good flexibility facilitate seamless integration with wearable VR setups, and the wearable arrays empower volunteers to precisely perceive the continuous and sudden breeze senses in the virtual environments. This work is expected to inspire developing new haptic feedback devices that play pivotal roles in human–machine interfaces for VR applications.


Highlights:
1 The breeze-sense generators generate significant air flow pressure output of ~ 163 Pa that can easily be sensed by human skin and have an overall thickness around 1 mm.
2 Volunteers successfully identify multiple programming patterns transmitted by the generators array.
3 A wearable breeze-sense feedback system effectively provides the continuous or sudden breeze senses in virtual reality environments.

Keywords

Virtual reality Wearable electronics Non-contact haptic feedback Breeze-sense Piezoelectret actuator
Zhang, Kaijun, Zhe Liu, Yexi Zhou, Zhaoyang Li, Dazhe Zhao, Xiao Guan, Tianjun Lan, Yanting Gong, Bingpu Zhou, and Junwen Zhong. 2025. “Thin and Flexible Breeze-Sense Generators for Non-Contact Haptic Feedback in Virtual Reality”. Nano-Micro Letters 17 (February):144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01670-y.
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