Researchers at Australia-based Adelaide University have unveiled a wearable glove that uses heat, touch and physical objects to transform data into a sensory experience.

The prototype, called ThermoPhy, was developed by intern Josh Joy, in virtual collaboration with his supervisors at the Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments (IVE).

The glove aims to let users to experience information not just through sight, but with temperature and touch; essentially letting them feel their personal data by combining wearable technology with data visualization.

The glove was recently demonstrated at the International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction (TEI 2026) in Chicago, where IVE lecturer Dr. Adam Drogemuller said it offers a fundamentally different way of engaging with data. “We wanted to investigate whether data could be experienced in a more personal and embodied way, using physical sensations such as warmth,’’ he said.

The glove features two complementary displays. On the outside, users can attach small 3D-printed tokens that create physical versions of familiar visualizations such as bar charts, line graphs, and heat maps. The inner part of the glove is embedded with tiny heating elements wrapped around the fingers to generate carefully controlled thermal sensations.

The result is a wearable data display that is designed to communicate information publicly through visible physical structures, while simultaneously conveying private information through heat that only the wearer can feel, the researchers said.

“Temperature is unique because it creates a highly personal experience,” Drogemuller explained. “Unlike information shown on a screen, thermal feedback is only perceived by the person wearing the device, making it potentially useful for representing sensitive or emotional information.”

The researchers believe heat could be particularly valuable for communicating human-centered data, such as mood, stress, wellbeing or personal experiences.

For example, the glove could be used to represent how many hours a person slept each night through physical bars, while the heat sensation reflects their mood when they wake up. Another application could show the effects on a person when exposed to warmer temperatures in a crowded a workplace or classroom, with warmer temperatures indicating higher levels of discomfort.

Adelaide University researcher Xiaojiao ‘Lily’ Du said the research builds on the growing movement of “data humanism,” which seeks to make data more relatable and emotionally meaningful.

“Data often becomes abstract and disconnected from human experiences,” she said. “We are interested in ways that bring people back into the process of understanding data through physical interaction, reflection and storytelling.”

The researchers said ThermoPhy was designed to be affordable and accessible. The electronic components cost approximately AUD$28, making the prototype relatively inexpensive to reproduce for future research and experimentation.

While still in the nascent stage, the project represents a new area of exploration for wearable data physicality and multi-sensory interfaces. Looking ahead, the team said its work will focus on how people perceive different temperature ranges, how thermal feedback influences interpretation of data, and how the technology could be combined with emerging tools such as augmented reality.

“One day, wearable technologies like ThermoPhy could help people better understand their health, emotions and personal experiences not simply by looking at data, but by feeling it,” said Drogemuller.