Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 2 hrs ago
KAIST develops VR signals that let users see how rough objects feel
KAIST researchers in South Korea developed a way to show object roughness in virtual reality using the outline and movement of a virtual hand.
In shared VR work, one person may feel roughness through a haptic device while a partner without one can only look at the screen.
The new visual signals show roughness at three levels so both people can judge an object without needing the same equipment.
The team tested the approach with 48 people in 24 pairs, each made up of one person with a haptic device and one without.
Pairs worked about 23% faster when both virtual hands displayed the roughness information, while sorting accuracy remained high.
The research won a top paper award at the IEEE ISMAR 2026 conference on virtual and augmented reality, and the team said it plans to continue research combining extended reality and AI.
KAIST researchers developed a virtual reality technology that shows object roughness through the shape and movement of a virtual hand’s outline.
The visual signals indicate three levels of roughness: low, medium and high.
The technology is intended to help people without haptic devices understand roughness while working with people who can feel it.
In a test involving 48 participants in 24 pairs, showing roughness information on both virtual hands cut task time by about 23% compared with showing no visual information.
The research team received the Best Paper Award at IEEE ISMAR 2026.
- Who
- A research team from KAIST’s Ubiquitous Virtual Reality Lab, led by Professor Woo Taek Woo.
- What
- The team developed visual signals in VR that show object roughness through a virtual hand’s outline and movement.
- When
- KAIST announced the development on November 3, 2026.
- Where
- KAIST in Daejeon, South Korea; the technology is for use in virtual reality.
- Why
- To help people without haptic devices understand roughness while collaborating with people who can feel it.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The researchers conducted two preliminary tests to check whether participants could distinguish the visual signals and whether those signals corresponded to roughness felt through haptic devices.
The team divided 48 participants into 24 pairs, with each pair including a person with a haptic device and one without, and asked them to sort objects in VR.
KAIST announced the technology and reported that the research team had received the Best Paper Award at IEEE ISMAR 2026.
- Roughness levels
- Low, medium and high
- Main experiment participants
- 48 people in 24 pairs
- Task time
- About 23% shorter when both virtual hands displayed roughness information
- Award
- Best Paper Award at IEEE ISMAR 2026
- Announcement
- November 3, 2026
1 source
What people are saying
A meaningful achievement made possible by the government’s training of virtual convergence talent and research support, KAIST’s research foundation, and the interdisciplinary research of young researchers.
We will continue virtual convergence research that combines XR and AI to share knowledge and experience beyond the constraints of time and space, contribute to solving real-world problems, and expand human capabilities.