An Instrument for Remote Kissing and Engineering Measurement of Its Communication Effects Including Modified Turing Test

Abstract

Various communication systems have been developed to integrate the haptic channel in digital communication. Future directions of such haptic technologies are moving towards realistic virtual reality applications and human-robot social interaction. With the digitisation of touch, robots equipped with touch sensors and actuators can communicate with humans on a more emotional and intimate level, such as sharing a hug or kiss just like humans do. This paper presents the design guideline, implementation and evaluations of a novel haptic kissing machine for smart phones -the Kissenger machine. The key novelties and contributions of the paper are: (i) A novel haptic kissing device for mobile phones, which uses dynamic perpendicular force stimulation to transmit realistic sensations of kissing in order to enhance intimacy and emotional connection of digital communication; (ii) Extensive evaluations of the Kissenger machine, including a lab experiment that compares mediated kissing with Kissenger to real kissing, a unique haptic Turing test that involves the first academic study of human-machine kiss, and a field study of the effects of Kissenger on long distance relationships. The first experiment showed that mediated kissing with Kissenger elicited similar ratings for pleasure, arousal and user experience as real kissing. Experiment 2 confirmed our hypothesis that interrogators have a higher chance of winning the Imitation Game (Turing test) when Kissenger is used during the game. Results from experiment 3 showed that long relationship couples who used Kissenger for a week experienced increased relationship satisfaction and decreased perceived stress.INDEX TERMS Force feedback, haptic interfaces, human-robot interaction, remote kissing, Turing test.

Towards Enabling Haptic Communications over 6G: Issues and Challenges

“…In this regard, the authors in [159] develop an actuator based on electroactive polymer which creates vibrations suitable enough to be sensed by end-users. Similarly, in [160], the hardware is developed for smartphones that produce sensations of kissing similar to reality. More research directions for better sensor design may include optimized circuit design, range of operation, degree of freedom as well as durability.…”

Understanding the Effect of Speed on Human Emotion Perception in Mediated Social Touch Using Voice Coil Actuators

“…One common method for measuring touch in these systems is with an array of pressure sensors, with the output varying between pressure (Teh et al, 2012), lateral motion (Eichhorn et al, 2008), vibration (Furukawa et al, 2012;Huisman et al, 2013), and multisensory feedback (Cabibihan and Chauhan, 2015). Researchers have also explored creating higher fidelity input-output systems, for example in kissing display devices for use between family members (Cheok, 2020) and romantic partners (Samani et al, 2012). There has also been work in creating ultra-realistic input devices (Teyssier et al, 2019).…”

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.…”

“…In this case, metaphoric touch events from real life have been utilized in communication. Hugs [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], kisses [ 20 , 21 , 22 ], pokes [ 30 ], handshakes [ 31 ], strokes [ 32 ], and messages [ 33 ] are popularly mediated through haptic devices.…”