Touching
Digital Interactions
Technical Mediations of Emotional Encounters Through Touch - TMEET
A research initiative on how interfaces can facilitate perceptual and emotional engagement in remote communication
Sponsored by
How can digital interfaces enable authentic feeling and emotional exchange for deeper connection and understanding despite physical distance?
Rethinking Digital Human Interaction
Our research explores how remote tactile interactions can mediate emotional exchanges, offering new perspectives on social cognition, human-computer interaction (HCI), and affective computing. By studying the perceptual and cognitive mechanisms underlying mediated touch, we aim to inform the design of interfaces that facilitate richer, more embodied remote experiences.
Beyond Visual and Auditory Interaction: Investigating
Tactile Perception
Existing digital communication technologies primarily engage visual and auditory modalities, ignoring other channels that contribute to emotional engagement. This research investigates whether and how tactile mediations can contribute to more engaging, emotionally attuned remote experiences.
Touch, for example, plays a significant role in:
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Social cognition (mutual perception, shared attention, and non-verbal communication).
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Emotional regulation (conveying reassurance, stress relief, and social bonding).
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Physical presence perception (understanding the presence and intent of others).
Research Approach and Methodology
Empirical Studies of Perceptual Crossings
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Controlled minimalist experiments using haptic interaction platforms (e.g., TACTOS).
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Analysis of sensorimotor coupling and action-perception cycles in mediated touch.
Ethnographic and Qualitative Research
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Studies of tactile interaction in populations experiencing heightened stress and emotional reactivity
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Observations of social touch behaviours in digital versus physical environments.
Prototype Development and Evaluation
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Design of haptic-enabled interfaces informed by empirical findings.
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User testing to explore perceptual and emotional responses to mediated touch.
Designing for
Embodied Digital Interaction
We aim to develop a framework for integrating haptic feedback into digital communication. Rather than solely focusing on hardware-based haptic systems, the study explores how both physical and pseudo-haptic feedback can contribute to a more immersive and emotionally expressive digital interaction model.
This study adopts a design-oriented methodology to ensure that its findings extend beyond theory and into practical, real-world applications. We will investigate :
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How haptic signals can be encoded, transmitted, and interpreted to create meaningful touch interactions in digital environments.
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The role of pseudo-haptics—where visual, auditory, or cognitive illusions simulate tactile experiences without physical actuators—in enhancing the perception of presence, resistance, and texture in virtual communication.
The outcome of this research is a set of design principles, interaction models, and experimental prototypes that inform the development of haptic-enhanced communication systems.
Potential Applications
FAQ
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What is the main goal of this research?This research aims to explore how touch can be integrated into digital communication to enable authentic, emotionally rich interactions despite physical distance. It investigates haptic feedback, pseudo-haptics, and AI-driven emotional interfaces to develop new models for remote presence, digital touch, and embodied interaction.
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What is pseudo-haptics, and how does it relate to this research?Pseudo-haptics is the perception of touch or force without physical haptic devices, created through visual, auditory, or interaction-based illusions. This research studies how pseudo-haptic effects can enhance the perception of texture, resistance, and movement in digital environments, making interactions more immersive and emotionally expressive without requiring specialized hardware.
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What is the long-term vision of this research?The ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between digital and physical interaction, making remote communication more human, intuitive, and emotionally engaging. This work envisions a future where technology does not isolate but enhances human connection, allowing us to touch, feel, and emotionally engage with information and others across distance in ways that feel natural and meaningful.
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What is the methodology used in this research?This study employs an experimental and design-oriented methodology, integrating empirical user studies, iterative prototyping, and computational modeling. The methodological framework consists of: Minimalist experimental setups to isolate and analyze the fundamental perceptual mechanisms underlying mediated touch and social cognition. Prototype-driven inquiry, incorporating both hardware-based haptic interfaces and software-driven pseudo-haptic effects. User-centered evaluation methodologies, assessing the impact of touch on cognitive load, social presence, and affective exchange in remote interaction contexts. Computational modeling and AI integration, enabling real-time adaptation of haptic feedback based on interaction dynamics and user affective states.
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Why are experiments conducted in a minimalist environment?Minimalist environments are deliberately employed to reduce confounding variables and isolate core interaction dynamics. By removing extraneous visual, auditory, and contextual elements, the research ensures that observed effects on perception, cognition, and emotion are attributable to the specific haptic or pseudo-haptic manipulations being tested. This approach enables: A more controlled analysis of perceptual crossings and mutual interaction in touch-mediated encounters. A fundamental understanding of how haptic cues influence social cognition, before applying findings to complex, multimodal real-world systems. A systematic framework for generalizing findings across different application domains, ensuring methodological rigor and replicability.
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Why does this research adopt a design-based approach?A design-based research approach is employed to bridge theoretical inquiry with applied technological development. Unlike traditional experimental paradigms that focus solely on quantifying perceptual or cognitive effects, a design-based methodology: Facilitates iterative prototyping, ensuring that emerging insights can directly inform the development of touch-enabled interactive systems. Enables situated testing, allowing for real-world validation of theoretical principles through embodied interaction scenarios. Encourages cross-disciplinary integration, incorporating insights from cognitive science, human-computer interaction (HCI), AI-driven adaptive systems, and networked communication.