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Researchers demonstrate VR haptic device based on skin stretching that simulates physical forces
（Nweon December 09, 2025) Recently, researchers demonstrated a prototype device for the forearm that uses skin stretching to simulate physical forces in hand-tracking VR applications.
A device called the QuadStretcher is designed to make physical feedback perceptible in virtual reality. What’s special about it: It requires neither gloves nor a controller, but works by performing targeted skin stretching on the forearm.
Rather than directly stimulating the hand, the system uses four electric stretching units to produce a differentiated sense of strength. There is a tensile element on each side of the forearm that pulls or pushes the skin longitudinally through a rack and pinion system, with displacements of up to 11 mm. The system is modeled on the natural movements of the forearm muscles, making stimulation particularly intuitive.
In a study of 20 test subjects, the QuadStretcher was compared to a Tasbi replica, a haptic armband that provides feedback via pressure pulses. The researchers assessed feelings in six virtual scenarios, ranging from simple actions like pressing a button to more complex actions like stretching a rubber band or swinging a tennis racket.
In simple movements, you can barely feel any difference, but in more dynamic applications, the QuadStretcher performs well. The system performed better, especially in terms of sensing the direction of applied forces. Many testers described feeling tension when pulling on the virtual strap, as if something were really resisting. In contrast, the pressure of a squeeze armband feels even and less contextual.
Another aspect is: the location of the feedback affects the experience. The QuadStretcher is worn on the forearm and the squeeze armband is worn on the wrist. For large arm movements like a tennis swing, the forearm stretch feels more natural. However, for finer hand movements, pressure on the wrist is often more appropriate.
Subjective perceptions of how the movement should feel also play a role. Some testers attributed the act of activating the spray bottle more to an entire arm movement, while others saw it as a simple finger motion. Therefore, developers of haptic systems should focus not only on technology but also on user expectations.
QuadStretcher has been provided as an open source project on GitHub, and subsequent projects are already under development. In addition to a more compact design, the system will also be able to simulate impact forces in the future.
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