In the era of ubiquitous computing with flourished visual displays in our surroundings, the application of haptic feedback technology still remains in its infancy. Bridging the gap between haptic technology and the real world to enable ambient haptic feedback on various physical surfaces is a grand challenge in the field of human-computer interaction. This paper presents the concept of an active electronic skin, characterized by three features: richness (multi-modal haptic stimuli), interactivity (bi-directional sensing and actuation capabilities), and invisibility (transparent, ultra-thin, flexible, and stretchable). By deploying this skin on physical surfaces, dynamic and versatile multi-modal haptic display, as well as tactile sensing, can be achieved. The potential applications of this skin include two categories: skin for the physical world (such as intelligent home, intelligent car, and intelligent museum), and skin for the digital world (such as haptic screen, wearable device, and bare-hand device). Furthermore, existing skin-based haptic display technologies including texture, thermal, and vibrotactile feedback are surveyed, as well as multidimensional tactile sensing techniques. By analyzing the gaps between current technologies and the goal of ambient haptics, future research topics are proposed, encompassing fundamental theoretical research on the physiological and psychological perception mechanisms of human skin, spatial-temporal registration among multimodal haptic stimuli, integration between sensing and actuation, and spatial-temporal registration between visual and haptic display. This concept of active electronic skin is promising for advancing the field of ambient haptics, enabling seamless integration of touch into our digital and physical surroundings.

在计算无处不在、视觉显示蓬勃发展的时代，触觉反馈技术的应用仍处于起步阶段。弥合触觉技术与现实世界之间的差距，以在各种物理表面上实现环境触觉反馈，是人机交互领域的一项巨大挑战。本文提出了主动电子皮肤的概念，具有三个特征：丰富性（多模式触觉刺激）、交互性（双向传感和驱动能力）和隐形性（透明、超薄、灵活和可拉伸） 。通过在物理表面上部署这种皮肤，可以实现动态且多功能的多模式触觉显示以及触觉传感。该皮肤的潜在应用包括两类：物理世界的皮肤（如智能家居、智能汽车、智能博物馆）和数字世界的皮肤（如触觉屏幕、可穿戴设备、裸手设备） 。此外，还调查了现有的基于皮肤的触觉显示技术，包括纹理、热和振动触觉反馈，以及多维触觉传感技术。通过分析当前技术与环境触觉目标之间的差距，提出了未来的研究主题，包括人类皮肤的生理和心理感知机制的基础理论研究、多模态触觉刺激的时空配准、传感与驱动的集成、以及视觉和触觉显示之间的时空配准。 这种主动电子皮肤的概念有望推动环境触觉领域的发展，使触摸能够无缝集成到我们的数字和物理环境中。