The sense of softness is vital for survival, well-being, and complex social interactions among animals and humans. It guides decisions ranging from food selection in animals to the detection of medical anomalies in humans. Yet, our grasp of this sensation, including its neural pathways and underlying cognitive processes, remains incomplete. This study introduces a haptic display, the softness-rendering interface (SORI), which quantitatively replicates softness sensations. By adapting to the individual properties of fingertips and bridging the gap between actual and perceived softness, SORI offers a leap forward in understanding and accurately simulating this pivotal sense. This advancement not only holds promise for enhancing haptic technology but also paves the way for deeper insights into the neuroscience of softness perception.

M. Mete, H. Jeong, W.D. Wang, J. Paik, SORI: A softness-rendering interface to unravel the nature of softness perception, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 121 (13) e2314901121, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2314901121 (2024).