University of Seoul, Hanyang University researchers develop wearable electrical stimulation suit

From left are Kim Sun-hong, chemical engineering professor at the University of Seoul; Kim Ju-hwan, a postdoctoral researcher at the university; Hwang Jin-hee, a doctoral student at Hanyang University; Park Dong-wook, electric and computer engineering professor at the University of Seoul; and Jung Yei-hwan, electronic engineering professor at Hanyang University. Courtesy of University of Seoul

A research team at the University of Seoul has developed a textile-based electrical stimulation suit capable of delivering both full-body tactile stimulation and therapeutic functions in collaboration with Hanyang University researchers.

The findings were published in April in the international scientific journal Nature Communications under the title, “A lightweight durable full-body electrical stimulation suit for haptic feedback and therapeutic applications.”

The University of Seoul said the study has been highly recognized as a next-generation neural interface technology that integrates electrophysiological stimulation-based tactile interfaces with therapeutic functions.

The university’s team was led by Kim Sun-hong, professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering, and Park Dong-wook, professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Hanyang University team was led by Jung Yei-hwan, professor at the Department of Electronic Engineering.

The developed suit is a wearable system designed to deliver electrical stimulation throughout the human body, enabling whole-body tactile perception beyond conventional tactile devices that are limited to the hands or specific body parts.

A key feature of the system is that it integrates haptic feedback, neuromuscular stimulation-based therapeutic applications and XR (AR/VR) interfaces into a single platform.

A flexible, low-impedance electrode structure combining a conductive hydrogel and a stretchable Ag-PU conductor, and a textile-based wearable system utilizing the structure / Courtesy of the University of Seoul

Kim's research team led the development of the core material technology. It devised a flexible, low-impedance electrode structure, addressing major limitations of conventional electrodes such as skin irritation, unstable contact and performance degradation during long-term use.

The structure paved the way for the development of high-performance wearable electrodes suitable for extended wear. The electrodes also achieved both high electrical conductivity and biocompatibility, making them a promising material platform for large-area applications across the human body.

The university said Park’s team, meanwhile, implemented the core circuit and system technologies of the research.

Kim Ju-hwan, a team member and postdoctoral researcher, made key contributions to developing an intelligent feedback control system which integrates real-time measurement of skin-electrode impedance, a garment pressure-based sensing system and an automatic voltage calibration algorithm.

The study showed that the system enables the delivery of consistent tactile stimulation despite variations in individual body shapes, changes in wearing pressure and fluctuations in skin conditions.

The researchers validated the system’s diverse potential applications by conducting experiments including tactile feedback implementation in a virtual reality environment and reduction of hand tremors through electrical stimulation.

An intelligent feedback control and soft circuit system integrating garment pressure-based sensing and an automatic voltage calibration algorithm / Courtesy of the University of Seoul

The university said that by simultaneously enabling therapeutic functions using electrical stimulation and tactile interface capabilities, the developed technology is expected to have broad applications in the fields of digital therapeutics, neurorehabilitation and brain-computer interface.

“The suit developed in this research represents a wearable neural interface platform that delivers precise electrical stimulation across the entire body and implements a consistent tactile interface based on pressure-signal feedback,” professor Kim said.

Park said, “Going forward, we plan to further advance this system and expand it into a next-generation neural interface that integrates neural signal acquisition and tactile feedback.”

The research was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of Education, the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.