MIT's flexible optical-fibre sheet map to self-track its shape
The fibre sheet reconstructs its own 3D surface shape with under 0.4 centimetres of error, far better than rigid sensors at 1 to 2 centimetres.
Engineers at MIT have developed a flexible sheet of optical fibres that can digitally reconstruct its own shape as it is flexed and folded, according to pcgamer.com. The work points to potential uses in VR body tracking and physical therapy.
The sheet operates as a waveguide. Light travelling through the bending fibres is tracked and interpreted by an algorithm built for the task, which rebuilds the sheet's movement in three dimensions.
That reconstruction carries a margin of error of less than 0.4 centimetres. Existing rigid-sensor designs, by comparison, show errors of around 1 to 2 centimetres.
A prototype kept working after being pierced with a hole puncher, indicating the design tolerates damage that would disable conventional rigid sensor arrays.
Next steps
The fibres in the current prototype measure 1 millimetre thick. The team says alternative fabrication methods could bring them down to tens of micrometres, and it plans to slim down the prototype.