Haptically augmented remote speech communication: a study of user practices and experiences

Haptic technology provides a channel for interpersonal communication through the sense of touch. In the development of novel haptic communication devices, it is essential to explore people's use behaviors and perceptions of such a communication channel. To this end, we conducted a laboratory study on haptically augmented remote interpersonal communication. Participant pairs tested a communication system that allowed them to send squeezing and thermal feedback to each other's forearm during speech discussion. We explored the use practices and user experience of this setup and compared it to traditional speech-only communication. The findings indicate that squeezing was experienced as a more versatile and immediate type of feedback than thermal feedback. Warm and cold were on the other hand useful for communicating positive and negative meanings. Compared to speech-only communication, the added haptic modality allowed conveying emphases, emotions, and touches related to the discussion, and increased the feeling of closeness between the pairs.