In the future, virtual reality and metaverse experiences could be experienced in a different way, much more immersive and natural, giving people a realistic sense of their living and working environment. This is what researchers who have developed flexible nanomaterial sensors for detection are pointing out. 

This way, with simple vibrations of the skin, facial expressions, muscle activity and movements of the body’s limbs, people can access worlds that were previously only possible with the press of a button. 

Conducted by researchers from Changchun University of Science and Technology (CUST) and the City University of Hong Kong (CityU), the research indicates that different trigger mechanisms for interaction between nanomaterials and metaverse/virtual reality applications have been analysed, such as interfaces triggered by skin mechanics, triggered by temperature, triggered magnetically and triggered by neurons.

Flexible nanomaterial-based sensors, involving various structures such as nanoparticles, nanowires and nanofilms, can be firmly attached to human skin or integrated into clothing to monitor subjects’ physical and physiological information as they explore the spaces of the metaverse. Nanomaterials have been widely incorporated into flexible sensors due to their easy processing, material compatibility and unique properties.