EXILOThe Next-Generation Haptic Glove


Overview
Through research practice, I recognized that haptic feedback is essential for immersive VR, yet most existing devices remain heavy, costly, and difficult to deploy beyond laboratory settings.


To address this, we developed EXILO, a high-resolution electrotactile glove. At present, it is the lightest, most precise, and most cost-effective wearable haptic device on the market. Meanwhile, its micro-elastic structures allow it to closely conform to hand contours, ensuring comfort during wear.


EXILO has the potential to make high-quality haptics more accessible in everyday VR applications. This invention also served as the technological foundation for the founding of my company, Frontier.



Other Electrotactile Research I've Worked On
1. E-Elasticity: An Electrotactile Method to Simulate Elasticity →
2. Slip-Grip: An Electrotactile Method to Simulate Weight→
ContributionFirst Inventor on Patent
DurationDec 2024 – May 2025 (6 months)
LabHuman–Computer Interaction Technology and Intelligent Information Processing Laboratory, ISCAS, Beijing, China
KeywordsWearable Device, Electrotactile Technology, Integrated Product Design
AchievementsChinese Invention Patent
Gold Award(100,000 CNY), Design Intelligence Award(2025)
Silver Winner, MUSE Design Awards (2025)












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Electrotactile TechnologyElectrotactile is an emerging technology. It fabricates electrode arrays on thin, flexible printed circuits (FPCs), offering advantages such as flexibility, thinness, light weight, and high precision. Electrotactile devices directly generate local skin current that triggers neural potentials, which the brain interprets as tactile stimuli. By varying waveform, frequency, duration, or location, it can evoke sensations such as vibration, sliding, pressure, or button-clicking. 






EXILO's Ideation and Development FrameworkMost current VR experiences lack haptic feedback, which not only distorts immersion but also creates major challenges for precise interaction. Although haptic technology continues to advance, performance constraints and bulky hardware still hinder its adoption. After classifying 65 existing hand haptic devices, I found that electrotactile technology offers clear advantages in haptic precision, weight, and cost compared with traditional approaches. However, there is no mature commercial product available, leaving a noticeable market gap. Based on prior research and hands-on experience, I identified four core challenges preventing electrotactile technologies from reaching product-level maturity. To address these challenges, I designed six key solutions, which ultimately led to the development of the next-generation electrotactile interactive glove, EXILO.










Development Process
  • 1.    Enhancing FPC elasticity through micro-serpentine structure
  • 2.    Adjustable fingertip-locking structure
  • 3.    Development of full-hand FPCs for electrotactile stimulation
  • 4.    Addition Layer 1: an FPC equipped with IMUs

  • 5.    Addition Layer 2: an Ionic gel layer for the palm
  • 6.    Small PCB driver board
  • 7.    Fabric layer and driver board container
  • 8.    FPCs and structural wearability testing














Final Display
EXILO consists of four parts: the fabric layer, FPCs, driver module, and the additional HTC VIVE Tracker.





EXILO is currently the lightest, most precise, and most cost-effective wearable haptic device on the market. It integrates 184 stimulation points, weighs only 120 grams (excluding the tracker), and can be manufactured for approximately $180, far lower than existing devices that cost thousands of dollars. With these advantages, EXILO has the potential to make high-quality haptics more accessible in everyday VR applications.






Applications1.    VR Gaming and LifeEXILO also renders rich material sensations, ranging from the roughness of rock to the softness of fabric, and enhances users’ perception of object shape, creating deeper immersion in VR gameplay.




2.   Surgical Training
In VR surgical training, EXILO delivers precise feedback on tissue stiffness and applied force, improving both accuracy and learning efficiency.





3.   Teleoperation
For teleoperation tasks, EXILO provides real-time haptic feedback from robotic arms, reducing errors and enabling delicate, previously impossible actions.







Moments



Extending this line of research, I founded Frontier, focusing on sensory augmentation and rehabilitation.Learn more about our company →






Hongyu Yue  岳洪宇
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