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New SFU technology helps long-distance couples 91Ƶhold hands91Ƶ

Simon Fraser University students create gloves to maintain touch for couples living apart

A new invention out of Simon Fraser University aims to help partners in long-distance relationships keep their grip on love.

Students studying in a lab at SFU91Ƶs School of Interactive Arts and Technology have built a pair of interconnected gloves call Flex-N-Feel.

When fingers flex in one glove, the actions are transmitted to a remote partner wearing the other. The glove91Ƶs tactile sensors allow the wearer to feel the movements.

The sensors are attached to a micro-controller to capture the flex actions and provide a value for each bend, transmitted to the 91Ƶfeel91Ƶ glove using WiFi.

The sensors are also placed strategically on the palm side of the fingers in order to better feel the touch. A soft-switch on both gloves also allows either partner to initiate the touch.

91ƵUsers can make intimate gestures such as touching the face, holding hands, and giving a hug,91Ƶ says associate professor Carman Neustaedter. 91ƵThe act of bending or flexing one91Ƶs finger is a gentle and subtle way to mimic touch.91Ƶ

The gloves are currently a prototype and testing continues. While one set enables one-way remote touch between partners, Neustaedter says a second set could allow both to share touches at the same time.

91ƵLong-distance relationships are more common today, but distance don91Ƶt have to mean missing out on having a physical presence and sharing space,91Ƶ says Neustaedter. 91ƵIf people can91Ƶt physically be together, we91Ƶre hoping to create the next best technological solutions.91Ƶ

Other projects in the works at the lab include a virtual reality video conferencing system that lets one 91Ƶsee through the eyes91Ƶ of a remote partner, and another invention, called Be With Me, that enables users to video-stream a remote partner91Ƶs activities to a long-distance partner at home.



About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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