Magnetosensitive e-skins with directional perception for augmented reality

Electronic skins equipped with artificial receptors are able to extend our perception beyond the modalities that have naturally evolved. These synthetic receptors offer complimentary information on our surrounding and endow us with novel means of manipulating physical or even virtual objects. Here, we realize highly compliant magnetosensitive skins with directional perception that enable magnetic cognition, body position tracking and touchless object manipulation. Transfer printing of eight high performance spin valve sensors arranged into two Wheatstone bridges onto 1.7 µm thick polyimide foils ensures mechanical imperceptibility. This resembles a new class of interactive devices extracting information from the surrounding through magnetic tags. We demonstrate this concept in augmented reality systems with virtual knob turning functions and the operation of virtual dialing pads, based on the interaction with magnetic fields. This technology will enable a cornucopia of applications from navigation, motion tracking in robotics, regenerative medicine, sports and gaming to interaction in supplemented reality.