A new invention out of Simon Fraser University aims to help partners in long-distance relationships keep their grip on love.

Students studying in a lab at SFUsa国际传媒檚 School of Interactive Arts and Technology have built a pair of interconnected gloves call Flex-N-Feel.

When fingers flex in one glove, the actions are transmitted to a remote partner wearing the other. The glovesa国际传媒檚 tactile sensors allow the wearer to feel the movements.

The sensors are attached to a micro-controller to capture the flex actions and provide a value for each bend, transmitted to the sa国际传媒榝eelsa国际传媒� glove using WiFi.

The sensors are also placed strategically on the palm side of the fingers in order to better feel the touch. A soft-switch on both gloves also allows either partner to initiate the touch.

sa国际传媒淯sers can make intimate gestures such as touching the face, holding hands, and giving a hug,sa国际传媒� says associate professor Carman Neustaedter. sa国际传媒淭he act of bending or flexing onesa国际传媒檚 finger is a gentle and subtle way to mimic touch.sa国际传媒�

The gloves are currently a prototype and testing continues. While one set enables one-way remote touch between partners, Neustaedter says a second set could allow both to share touches at the same time.

sa国际传媒淟ong-distance relationships are more common today, but distance donsa国际传媒檛 have to mean missing out on having a physical presence and sharing space,sa国际传媒� says Neustaedter. sa国际传媒淚f people cansa国际传媒檛 physically be together, wesa国际传媒檙e hoping to create the next best technological solutions.sa国际传媒�

Other projects in the works at the lab include a virtual reality video conferencing system that lets one sa国际传媒渟ee through the eyessa国际传媒� of a remote partner, and another invention, called Be With Me, that enables users to video-stream a remote partnersa国际传媒檚 activities to a long-distance partner at home.