Green Fingers: Plant Thigmo Responses as an Unexplored Area for Haptics Research

Abstract

Haptics research has been firmly rooted in human perceptual sciences. However, plants, too, possess capabilities for detecting mechanical stimuli. Here, I provide a brief overview of plant thigmo (touch) perception research with the aim of informing haptics researchers and challenging them to consider applying their knowledge to the domain of plants. The aim of this paper is to provide haptics researchers with conceptual tools, including relevant terminology, plant response mechanisms, and potential technology applications to kickstart research into plant haptics.