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 tosimulate positive affective touch sensations, particularly in comparison to vibrotactile stimuli