TouchYou: A wearable touch sensor and stimulator for using our own body as a remote sex interface

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>In this article, we present TouchYou, a pair of wearable interfaces that enable affective touch interactions with people at long-distance. Through a touch-sensitive interface, which works by touch, pressure and capacitance, the body becomes the own input for stimulating the other body, which has a stimulation interface that enables the feeling of being touched. The person receives an electrical muscle stimulation, thermal and mechanical stimulation that react depending on the touch sensed by the first interface. By using the TouchYou, people can stimulate each other, using their own body, not only for sexual relations at a distance but for the production of affection and another way of feeling. We discuss the importance of the touch for human relationships, the current state of the art in haptic interfaces and how the technology can be used for the affection remote transmission. We present the design process of the TouchYou sensitive and stimulation interfaces, with a contribution of a method for developing custom touch sensors, we explore usage scenarios for the technology, including sex toys and sex robots and we present the concept of using the body as a remote sex interface.</jats:p>

Remote social touch framework: a way to communicate physical interactions across long distances

“… ‘ Interaction type ’ the way individuals interact with RST communication/ product which comprises of ‘implicit’ interaction, meaning the communication established and felt by the receiver immediately without the receiver needs to interact with the product [ 26 ], or ‘explicit’ interaction, which requires the user to intentionally interact with the product to receive (feeling) or send (establish) a RST (i.e.,, one needs to accept the feedback to be felt) [ 27 ]. ‘ Haptic rendering type ’ refers to the technology intended to render the haptic feedback and its qualities (intensity, duration, and frequency), such as force [ 28 , 29 ], vibration [ 30 ], or temperature [ 31 , 32 ]. ‘ Haptic detection type ’ refers to the technology intended to sense the touch utilized in the prototype, such as contact [ 33 ], force [ 34 ], squeeze [ 35 ], or movement [ 36 ].…”

“…‘ Haptic rendering type ’ refers to the technology intended to render the haptic feedback and its qualities (intensity, duration, and frequency), such as force [ 28 , 29 ], vibration [ 30 ], or temperature [ 31 , 32 ].…”