Gijs Huisman

The TaSSt: Tactile sleeve for social touch

In this paper we outline the design process of the TaSST (Tactile Sleeve for Social Touch), a touch-sensitive vibrotactile arm sleeve. The TaSST was designed to enable two people to communicate different types of touch over a distance. The touch-sensitive surface of the sleeve consists of a grid of 4×3 sensor compartments filled with conductive wool. Each compartment controls the vibration intensity of a vibration motor, located in a grid of 4×3 motors beneath the touch-sensitive layer. An initial evaluation of the TaSST revealed that it was mainly suitable for communicating protracted (e.g. pressing), and simple (e.g. poking) touches.

LEMtool: measuring emotions in visual interfaces

In this paper the development process and validation of the LEMtool (Layered Emotion Measurement tool) are described. The LEMtool consists of eight images that display a cartoon figure expressing four positive and four negative emotions using facial expressions and body postures. The instrument can be used during interaction with a visual interface, such as a website, and allows participants to select elements of the interface that elicit a certain emotion. The images of the cartoon figure were submitted to a validation study, in which participants rated the recognizability of the images as specific emotions. All images were found to be recognizable above chance level. In another study, the LEMtool was used to assess visual appeal judgements of a number of web pages. The LEMtool ratings were supported by visual appeal ratings of web pages both for very brief (50 milliseconds) and for long (free-viewing) stimulus exposures. Furthermore, the instrument provided insight into the elements of the web pages that elicited the emotional responses.

Towards tactile expressions of emotion through mediated touch

In this paper we investigate the expression of emotions through mediated touch. Participants used the Tactile Sleeve for Social Touch (TaSST), a wearable sleeve that consists of a pressure sensitive input layer, and a vibration motor output layer, to record a number of expressions of discrete emotions. The aim was to investigate if these participants could make meaningful distinctions in their tactile expressions of the emotions.

A touch of affect: mediated social touch and affect

This position paper outlines the first stages in an ongoing PhD project on mediated social touch, and the effects mediated touch can have on someones affective state. It is argued that touch is a profound communication channel for humans, and that communication through touch can, to some extent, occur through mediation. Furthermore, touch can be used to communicate emotions, as well as have immediate affective consequences. The design of an input device, consisting of twelve force-sensitive resistors, to study the communication of emotions through mediated touch is presented. A pilot study indicated that participants used duration of touch and force applied as ways to distinguish between different emotions. This paper will conclude by discussing possible improvements for the input device, how the pilot study fits with the overall PhD project, as well as future directions for the PhD project in general.

With Us or Against Us: Simulated Social Touch by Virtual Agents in a Cooperative or Competitive Setting

In this paper we examine how simulated social touch by a virtual agent in a cooperative or competitive augmented reality game influences the perceived trustworthiness, warmth and politeness of the agent. Before and after the game, participants interact with two agents whereby one agent touches the participant’s arm. Results showed no significant difference in how agents are perceived in the cooperative and competitive situation. However, significant differences between perception of the touching and non-touching agents could be observed for warmth.

Touched by the Storyteller: The Influence of Remote Touch in the Context of Storytelling

In this study we investigate the role of remote touch as an additional communication channel in the context of storytelling. We focus on studying the effect of remote touch and the timing of touch on perceived social presence and story recall. In our experiment people listened to an emotional story. Listeners were either remotely touched by the storyteller at emotional story moments, remotely touched at random moments during the story, or not touched at all. Our results indicate that remote touch does not enhance the perceived social presence of the storyteller. However, even when the link between remote touch and the story is not explicitly clear, touch at emotional story moments can contribute to the perception of the story. Furthermore, while touches at emotional story moments can distract from the story content, touch in general can implicitly enhance the attention paid to the story content.

Touching Virtual Agents: Embodiment and Mind

In this paper we outline the design and development of an embodied conversational agent setup that incorporates an augmented reality screen and tactile sleeve. With this setup the agent can visually and physically touch the user. We provide a literature overview of embodied conversational agents, as well as haptic technologies, and argue for the importance of adding touch to an embodied conversational agent. Finally, we provide guidelines for studies involving the touching virtual agent (TVA) setup.

Social Touch Technology: A Survey of Haptic Technology for Social Touch

This survey provides an overview of work on haptic technology for social touch. Social touch has been studied extensively in psychology and neuroscience. With the development of new technologies, it is now possible to engage in social touch at a distance or engage in social touch with artificial social agents. Social touch research has inspired research into technology mediated social touch, and this line of research has found effects similar to actual social touch. The importance of haptic stimulus qualities, multimodal cues, and contextual factors in technology mediated social touch is discussed. This survey is concluded by reflecting on the current state of research into social touch technology, and providing suggestions for future research and applications.

1st international workshop on multi-sensorial approaches to human-food interaction (workshop summary)

This is an introductory paper for the workshop entitled ‘Multi-Sensorial Approaches to Human-Food Interaction’ held at ICMI 2016, which took place the 16th of November, 2016 in Tokyo, Japan. Here we discuss our objectives and the relevance of the workshop, and summarize the key contributions of the position papers. We were able to gather a group of researchers from different countries in Europe and Asia who presented their research and discussed the current developments, trends, limitations, and future applications of the field. Whilst this is the first workshop of its kind, we anticipate that the field of multisensory Human-Food Interaction (HFI) will grow in the upcoming years in terms of research and development, and its products will impact our everyday eating experiences.

A Moving Feast: Effects of Color, Shape and Animation on Taste Associations and Taste Perceptions

Research into multimodal flavor perceptions has demonstrated associations between basic tastes and visual cues. Moreover, such associations have been found to influence taste perception. Here we are interested in how mixed reality technology in the form of projection mapping can be used to introduce such visual cues during consumption. First, associations between basic tastes and visualizations that differed in color, shape and animation speed were investigated in a crowdsourcing study. The study demonstrated associations between sweetness and red rounded shapes, and sourness and green angular shapes with a fast animation speed. A subsequent lab study where the visualizations were projected around a cup of yogurt that participants tasted confirmed these associations. Finally, specific combinations of visualizations and animation types were found to influence taste perceptions of the yogurt. The implications of these findings are discussed.