Reconfigurable, Adhesive-Free, Wearable Skin Strain Device

Skin-strain - the act of stretching the skin - is an interesting (but generally understudied) mode of haptic stimulation. Producing artificial skin strain on the body using a wearable device requires a clear understanding of the body product relationship between the device and the user. We present a wearable device capable of creating dozens of unique skin strain experiences on the wearer through a novel shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator + reconfigurable hook-and-eye attachment architecture. Not only can this architecture create spatially- and temporally-customizable skin strain experiences, it does so without the use of temporary / permanent adhesives (a typical limitation of other skin strain device designs). We present the iterative design process from early working prototypes to the most recently developed devices, including the underlying design criteria and decisions.