Realistic wearable technology is expected to surpass smartphones as the future of next-generation electronic devices and become a core technology of the metaverse. Accordingly, ultra-lightweight, multi-functional actuators for wearable implementation have emerged as a key technology for next-generation immersive interaction.

Samsung Electronics announced on the 1st that a research paper on an ultra-light and ultra-thin artificial muscle actuator jointly developed by Samsung Electronics and Ajou University was recently published in the world-renowned academic journal 'Nature Communications'.

This study presents a vision for expanding the application of artificial muscle actuators, which have been mainly used in the field of robotics, to the field of small wearables.

The actuator is a system that can move an object by applying pressure or measure the pressure of an artificial muscle. The research team has achieved results that prove the possibility of implementing future technology that can be applied to wearable devices such as AR glasses and haptic gloves by researching and developing a multi-functional artificial muscle actuator based on shape memory alloy.

In the field of virtual environments, research is being conducted on actuators and sensors to enhance immersion. Actuators and sensors applied to AR/VR wearable devices must be small and lightweight for wearability, while also implementing complex visual and tactile functions.

To overcome the limitations of existing electromagnetic motor-based actuators, the research team designed an ultra-light (0.22 g) and ultra-thin (less than 5 mm) multi-functional actuator that combines shape-memory alloy-based artificial muscles and flexible elements, and tested its actual effectiveness in wearable devices.

By applying the technology to AR glasses, the research team claimed to have confirmed a reduction in visual fatigue experienced by users. The actuator directly adjusts the distance between the display and the AR glasses' optical system based on the object's focal length, mitigating convergence mismatch, a phenomenon that causes visual fatigue.

This convergence mismatch phenomenon is similar to the dizziness experienced when watching a 3D movie. It occurs when there is a mismatch between the accommodative distance for focusing on the screen and the convergence distance for focusing on 3D objects, which increases eye fatigue.

Furthermore, by applying the artificial muscle actuator to a tactile transmission glove, the research team confirmed that it could provide a tactile sensation similar to pressing with an actual hand. The actuator has the advantage of measuring pressure without a separate sensor, allowing a tactile transmission glove using it to be thin yet capable of recognizing Braille and other symbols. Converting the recognized Braille into electrical signals and transmitting them could potentially be utilized in future telehaptics technology.

As core hardware technologies for next-generation realistic interaction are gradually developing, Seongjeon Electronics announced that it plans to continue researching innovative technologies through industry-academia cooperation.