Skin-integrated wireless haptic interfaces for virtual and augmented reality.

Traditional technologies for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) create human experiences through visual and auditory stimuli that replicate sensations associated with the physical world. The most widespread VR and AR systems use head-mounted displays, accelerometers and loudspeakers as the basis for three-dimensional, computer-generated environments that can exist in isolation or as overlays on actual scenery. In comparison to the eyes and the ears, the skin is a relatively underexplored sensory interface for VR and AR technology that could, nevertheless, greatly enhance experiences at a qualitative level, with direct relevance in areas such as communications, entertainment and medicine1,2. Here we present a wireless, battery-free platform of electronic systems and haptic (that is, touch-based) interfaces capable of softly laminating onto the curved surfaces of the skin to communicate information via spatio-temporally programmable patterns of localized mechanical vibrations. We describe the materials, device structures, power delivery strategies and communication schemes that serve as the foundations for such platforms. The resulting technology creates many opportunities for use where the skin provides an electronically programmable communication and sensory input channel to the body, as demonstrated through applications in social media and personal engagement, prosthetic control and feedback, and gaming and entertainment.

Roles of dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase Lpd1 in Candida albicans filamentation.

Acetyl coenzyme A, a key intermediate of the mitochondrial carbon metabolism, is formed by the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). The dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase Lpd1 is a catalytic component of PDC. Lpd1 has been recovered during 2D-PAGE screening for the hypha-specific proteins in Candida albicans. The Lpd1 protein, as visualized by a GFP-fusion, was localized in the mitochondria during the logarithmic yeast growth and the filamentous growth. The GFP signal was prevalent and relatively uniform toward the tip of the hyphae. The functions of the LPD1 gene were investigated by construction of lpd1/lpd1 mutant strain. This homozygous deletion mutant was unable to grow on non-fermentable carbon sources including glycerol, ethanol, acetate, and citrate. In addition, the lpd1/lpd1 strain exhibited a slow-growth phenotype on glucose-containing media and a marked sensitivity to 0.5mM of hydrogen peroxide. LPD1 was shown to be required for filamentous growth under a serum-containing hyphal-inducing condition. These results suggest a possible relationship between mitochondrial respiration and filamentous growth.

Proteomic analysis of hyphae-specific proteins that are expressed differentially in cakem1/cakem1 mutant strains of Candida albicans.

The yeast-to-hyphal transition is a major virulence factor in the fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Mutations in the CaKEM1 gene, which encodes a 5'-3' exoribonuclease responsible for mRNA degradation, show a defect in hyphal growth. We applied two-dimensional gel electrophoresis to identify hyphae-specific proteins that have altered expressions in the presence of the cakem1 mutation. Eight proteins, Eno1, Eps1, Fba1, Imh3, Lpd1, Met6, Pdc11, and Tsa1 were upregulated during hyphal transition in wild-type but not in cakem1/cakem1 mutant cells. A second group of proteins, Idh1, Idh2, and Ssb1, showed increased levels of expression in cakem1/cakem1 mutant cells when compared to wild-type cells. Overexpression of Lpd1, a component of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, caused slight hyperfilamentation in a wild-type strain and suppressed the filamentation defect of the cakem1 mutation. The Ssb1 protein, which is a potential heat shock protein, and the Imh3 protein, which is a putative enzyme in GMP biosynthesis also showed the filamentation-associated phenotypes.