A review by researchers from Shandong University and collaborating institutions argues that making virtual objects look real is no longer enough; the next advance in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) will require making them feel real as well. Published in Materials Futures , the article proposes a closed-loop "human-machine-environment" haptic interaction framework that links tactile sensing, intelligent processing, and physical feedback into a single system for more realistic digital interaction.
Visual displays and spatial audio in modern VR/AR have advanced rapidly, but physical interaction remains comparatively limited. When users reach for a virtual object and receive no matching touch, resistance, temperature, or texture, the result is the "Ghost Hand" effect: contact is visible but not physically perceived. This sensory mismatch remains a major barrier to immersion and is one reason virtual environments have yet to fully reproduce natural embodied interaction.
The Challenge: Closing the Haptic Interaction Gap
Most existing research has focused on individual components, such as tactile sensors or haptic actuators. The review instead examines the complete haptic interaction loop, from detecting contact with the physical environment to processing tactile information and generating appropriate feedback for the user. At the input stage, it surveys flexible tactile sensing strategies, including piezoresistive, capacitive, magnetic, and optical approaches, and discusses how bio-inspired microstructures can improve sensitivity and help separate complex signals such as normal force, shear, and temperature. At the processing stage, the review examines how artificial intelligence and edge computing may help interpret noisy , nonlinear tactile data fast enough for real-time use. At the feedback stage, it compares kinesthetic, cutaneous, and thermal haptic technologies designed to reconstruct different aspects of touch.
A Closed-Loop Haptic Architecture
The review also identifies flexible electronic skins as a key hardware direction for future immersive systems. Rather than relying on bulky external equipment, body-conformal interfaces could integrate sensing, computation, and feedback into softer, wearable formats that more closely match the mechanical properties and geometry of human skin. Across the literature, the authors highlight applications ranging from robotic teleoperation and digital twins to medical rehabilitation, surgical and educational training, immersive entertainment, digital art, and operations in visually degraded or hazardous environments. In these settings, haptics is presented not as a decorative add-on but as a functional channel for dexterity, embodiment, and situational awareness. At the same time, the article outlines major engineering barriers. High-fidelity force feedback is often bulky and power-intensive, while lightweight soft systems can struggle with realism, durability, or response bandwidth. Multimodal platforms must also cope with signal crosstalk and strict timing demands across touch, vision, and sound. To narrow that gap, the authors point to four research priorities: intrinsically decoupled functional materials, in-sensor and edge intelligence, integrated manufacturing for scalable systems, and scenario-specific haptic optimization.
Overall, the review argues that closing the physical loop of touch may be essential for moving VR/AR from passive viewing to fully embodied interaction.
The article, "Constructing the haptic interaction loop for immersive VR/AR systems," was published in Materials Futures .
Reference : Zechuan Yu, Chenghui Wang, Ziyi Dai, Cheng Wang, Yuanzhe Liang, Shan Ma, Mingrui Wang, Kai Qian. Constructing the haptic interaction loop for immersive VR/AR systems[J]. Materials Futures . DOI: 10.1088/2752-5724/ae8611
Materials Futures
Constructing the haptic interaction loop for immersive VR/AR systems
3-Jul-2026