Electropneumotactile Stimulation: Multimodal Haptic Actuators Enabled by a Stretchable Conductive Polymer on Inflatable Pockets.

This paper describes a type of haptic device that delivers two modes of stimulation simultaneously and at the same locations on the skin. The two modes of stimulation are mechanical (delivered pneumatically by inflatable air pockets embedded within a silicone elastomer) and electrical (delivered by a conductive polymer). The key enabling aspect of this work is the use of a highly plasticized conductive polymer based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiphene) (PEDOT) blended with elastomeric polyurethane (PU).