In Contact: Pinching, Squeezing and Twisting for Mediated Social Touch

Abstract

Mediated social touch has the potential to enhance our interactions with machines and with each other. We present three wearable tactile devices that generate affective haptic sensations via three localised skin stretching modalities; pinching, squeezing, and twisting. The Pinch device is adhered to the skin of the forearm, generating pinching sensations in three locations. The Squeeze and Twist devices are wristbands that elicit squeezing and twisting sensations on the skin of the wrist. All of these devices are powered by shape memory alloy actuators, enabling them to be quiet, lightweight and discreet wearable interfaces, unlike their vibrotactile or servo-motor driven counterparts. We investigate the potential for these devices to be used in mediated social touch interactions by conducting preliminary psychometric tests measuring affective response. The Pinch device and Squeeze wristband were found to simulate positive affective touch sensations, particularly in comparison to vibrotactile stimuli.

Design and Perception of a Soft Shape Change Beneath a Smartwatch

“…Une pression plus forte sur la peau du poignet a été étudiée pour les notifications. Par exemple, HapticClench [33] utilise des alliages à mémoire de forme pour fournir une sensation de pression autour du bras, et InContact [77] compare les sensations de pincement, d'écrasement et de torsion au retour vibrotactile pour le toucher social médiatisé.…”

“…PneuHaptic [36] RetroShape [41] Haptic wristwatch [63] Déformation anisotrope eformation [36,41,63] compression [33,36,65] cisaillement [33,77] vibrotactile [14,32,63,71,82] flux d'air [57] lumière [50,66,71] audio [71] Poignet…”

“…PneuHaptic [36] RetroShape [41] Haptic wristwatch [63] Déformation anisotrope eformation [36,41,63] compression [33,36,65] cisaillement [33,77] vibrotactile [14,32,63,71,82] flux d'air [57] lumière [50,66,71] audio [71] Poignet 3. Positionnement de notre dispositif par rapport aux dispositifs précédents qui changent de courbure au poignet : la chambre à air de PneuHaptic se déforme de façon homogène dans toutes les directions (déformation isotrope), ce qui fait que la courbure est liée au diamètre de la chambre.…”

The Effect of Co-Verbal Remote Touch on Electrodermal Activity and Emotional Response in Dyadic Discourse

“…To support remote touch-based communication, the concept of mediated touch has been explored. Mediated touch is a kind of touch that is delivered via haptic feedback technology, including tactile and kinesthetic devices [ 13 ] on areas such as the arm [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ], lips [ 20 , 21 , 22 ], hand [ 23 , 24 , 25 ], and torso [ 26 , 27 , 28 ]. Mediated touch brings several benefits in human communication.…”