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Affective Haptics for Well-Being 

Workshop Event 2

9:30 AM – 12:15 PM | L1 Function Room 3 

Organizers

  • Hiroyuki Shinoda (University of Tokyo, Japan)

Abstract

Affective haptics is gaining attention in science and technology. While people have already acknowledged the significance of affective touch in their daily lives, researchers are investigating the close relationship between physical haptic stimulation and human response, including the release of hormones that can improve mental conditions. This workshop aims to update the potential of affective haptics in promoting well-being. The panelists discuss practical and realistic use cases where technological haptic stimulation can improve people’s mental states. They will also address the dependency on age and individual differences and discuss new scientific themes evoked by those new applications.

Speakers

  • Mounia Ziat (Bentley University, United States)
    In this talk, I will present findings from my research on the emotional effects of tactile feedback, exploring how haptic stimulation can enhance well-being. I will discuss two key approaches: the first investigates the use of air jet stimulation to enhance emotional communication through touch, and the second examines how the Cutaneous Rabbit Illusion can evoke emotional engagement in virtual reality. These studies highlight the potential of tactile feedback to promote relaxation, reduce stress, and foster emotional connection, paving the way for future applications in therapeutic environments and immersive technologies aimed at improving mental well-being.

    Biography: Dr. MOUNIA ZIAT is an Associate Professor at Bentley University in the Experience Design department. She holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science and an Electronic Engineering degree. For over 23 years, she has focused on understanding haptic perception, exploring how human touch interacts with surfaces and how tactile information is processed by the brain. Her multidisciplinary approach integrates engineering, cognitive psychology, human-computer interaction, and neuroscience. Dr. Ziat’s research has been supported by multiple grants, including recent funding from NSF, Google, and the U.S. Air Force.
  • Junji Watanabe (NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Japan)
    The sense of touch is a sense that everyone has and that fosters intimacy, empathy, and trust. I will introduce tools, both analog and digital, that bring well-being in a collective way.

    Biography: JUNJI WATANABE is a Senior Distinguished Researcher at NTT Communication Science Laboratories. He aims to develop information transmission technology that can provide tactile sensations as well as visual images and sounds. By using the technology, he also aims to contribute to human wellbeing.
  • Hsin-Ni Ho (Kyushu University, Japan)
    Non-verbal communication is essential to human interactions, conveying emotions and intentions beyond words. In face-to-face communication, gestures, expressions, and touch foster connection and co-presence. Yet, in remote and virtual settings, these cues are often missing, weakening the sense of togetherness and emotional understanding. In this talk, I will present studies from my lab showing how haptics bridges this gap. By integrating haptic feedback into remote and virtual communication, we’ve demonstrated its ability to enhance interpersonal interaction and strengthen co-presence. These findings have significant implications for well-being in our increasingly digital world.

    Biography: HSIN-NI HO received her Ph.D. from MIT in 2006. From 2007 to 2021, she was a Research Scientist at NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Japan. Currently, she is an Associate Professor at Kyushu University, specializing in cutaneous perception and displays. Her research focuses on the role of touch in Shitsukan perception and social interactions. Her work aims to advance haptic interfaces for sharing tactile experiences and enhancing affective communication. She has served as an associate editor for IEEE Transactions on Haptics and is Program Chair for AsiaHaptics 2024.
  • Ryo Kitada (Kobe University, Japan)
    Interpersonal touch plays a critical role in mental health. However, individual preferences for touch are not well understood. Here, I introduce three findings from psychophysical and social network studies on adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD): (1) compared to typically developed adults (TD), adults with ASD showed a lower preference for being touched by others; (2) individuals with ASD exhibited an atypical relationship between interpersonal touch and emotional bonding; and (3) their preference for the physical properties of softness, akin to the human body, differed between ASD and TD groups. Finally, I discuss the hypothesis that atypical preferences for object properties may lead to atypical interpersonal touch experiences.

    Biography: RYO KITADA received his Ph.D. from Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, in 2005. After completing a Research Fellowship at Queen’s University, Canada, he served as an Assistant Professor at the National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Japan, from 2008 to 2016. From 2017 to 2022, he was a Nanyang Associate Professor at the School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is currently a Professor at the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan. His research interests include human tactile and haptic perception, social cognition, and neuroscience.
  • Hiroyuki Shinoda (University of Tokyo, Japan)
    Children's mental health is a significant issue in today's society. While adults can typically recognize their mental health issues and seek help through verbal counseling, it's much more challenging for children to understand and address their mental health problems objectively. Many of the methods developed for adults may not be effective for children. This talk suggests that technological tactile care could be a promising approach to addressing these issues and introduces a project currently beginning.

    Biography: HIROYUKI SHINODA is a Professor at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, the University of Tokyo. After receiving his Ph.D., he began his career as an Associate Professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Koganei, Japan, where he worked from 1995 to 1999. During this time, he also spent a year as a Visiting Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, in 1999. He was an associate professor at the University of Tokyo from 2000 to 2012 and has been in his current position since 2013. His research focuses on haptics and mid-air haptics, as well as information physics, two-dimensional communication, and their applications. His research group has received many awards, including the Best Conference Paper Award at IEEE ICRA 1999 and the 2022 IEEE Transactions on Haptics Best Paper Award. He served as General Chair for Asia Haptics 2016, Program Co-Chair for Euro Haptics 2018, General Co-Chair for IEEE World Haptics Conference 2019, and Steering Committee Chair for IEEE World Haptics Conference 2021.

Timetable

9:30 AM – 9:35 AMIntroduction
9:35 AM – 10:00 AMMounia Ziat | From Air Jets to Haptic Illusions: Enhancing Well-being Through Tactile Feedback
10:00 AM – 10:25 AMJunji Watanabe | Well-being With Haptics
10:25 AM – 10:50 AMHsin-Ni Ho | Enhancing Co-Presence and Communication Through Haptics
10:50 AM – 11:10 AMBreak
11:10 AM – 11:35 AMRyo Kitada | Atypical Tactile Preferences in Autism Spectrum Disorder
11:35 AM – 12:00 PMHiroyuki Shinoda | Affective Haptics for Children
12:00 PM – 12:15 PMDiscussion with audience and speakers
Registration
Call for Papers

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