Thin-Film Actuator Embedded Haptic Glove Supporting Thumb Kinematics for Displayi... (Video Preview)

Thin-Film Actuator Embedded Haptic Glove Supporting Thumb Kinematics for Displaying Volumetric Shape and Contact Indentation Jongseok Nam, Hyungseok Seo, Jihyeong Ma, Nakhyeong Lee, Taeuk Oh, Seohee Kong, Je-sung Koh, Ki-Uk Kyung UIST 2026 Video Preview for a UIST 2026 paper The dexterity of the human hand is fundamentally rooted in the coordination of the thumb’s opposition and adduction. Despite its significance, conventional haptic gloves often neglect these two degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) movements, typically providing only single-channel tactile or force feedback. This limitation severely diminishes realism and control during dexterous manipulation in virtual reality (VR) and teleoperation. In this paper, we present a compact, lightweight haptic glove capable of providing 2-DOF force (kinesthetic) and pressure (tactile) feedback specifically for the thumb. To achieve this, we developed a system that utilizes thin-film electrostatic clutches and a cross-tendon structure to effectively constrain thumb movements. Furthermore, to accommodate varying contact points on the thumb pad during diverse grasping tasks, we integrated two thin-film flexure actuators to deliver localized pressure feedback at two thumb-pad locations. A preliminary user study suggests that constraining 2-DOF thumb movements improves perceived realism and reduces visual--haptic discord during virtual grasping of a cylindrical object with self-selected postures. We further demonstrate the feasibility of the system for stabilizing grasping in the teleoperation of a humanoid hand. Web:: https://programs.sigchi.org/uist/2026/program/content/262749