It doesn’t look like much yet: a finger with a massive cuff vaguely poking a low-res image of a tiny fairy floating a few inches above the screen that’s projecting it. But remember that this is just the first step and imagine the implications: Researchers at Keio University in Japan have created the first 3D images ^[1] that users can “touch,” or at least feel through a tactile response delivered by the finger cuff.

Fast-forward through a few years of development, and it’s easy to imagine ramping up your workout by kick-boxing a virtual alien. Or getting a virtual tennis lesson where you actually feel the ball strike your racket. Or giving your faraway loved one a hug that actually feels like one.

Read more (and see the video) at Mobile Magazine ^[1].