ConTaktLab

#Research lab led by Prof. @MerleFairhurst. We explore the cognitive and neurophysiological correlates of social affective touch and interpersonal coordination

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Call for Contributions for a NeuroImage Special Issue led by @MerleFairhurst (@TactileInternet/@tudresden_de) and @nico_hinrichs (@MPI_CBS)
Focus: hyperscanning, inter-brain coupling, multimodal neuroimaging, VR/AR/haptics and computational models.

Issue starts 01.26

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Could Pepper the robot offer comfort like Baymax?

Together with @TilburgU, we are studying how conversation and gentle robotic touch affect feelings of comfort, heart rate, and brain activity.

Read more: https://t.co/a5U1YgjOY6

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Read more: https://t.co/62rW9vcUMm

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Does technology change who we let touch us? A study across 6 countries finds that relationship closeness still shapes boundaries for physical, robotic, wearable, and contactless touch. Technology changes the experience but doesn't erase social expectations of consent and intimacy

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Read the full article: https://t.co/quF6IPmePK

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

New paper on affective touch and social exclusion in adolescence.

After virtual exclusion in VR, adolescents who received gentle touch reported a more positive emotional state and showed signs of greater physiological recovery than those in an auditory control condition.

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Can we imagine the feeling of a caress?

New research finds that imagined slow, brush-like touch is rated as more pleasant—just like physical C-tactile-optimal touch. Participants could also accurately imagine its slower velocity.

Read more: https://t.co/iXz4cgPfps

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Read more: https://t.co/yS911RCHfL

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

This paper of ours asks the question: to touch or to talk?

Our findings show that comfort depends on personal preferences: touch or words are perceived more positively when they match the support people would use themselves. Touch also elicited stronger emotional empathy.

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

@IreneValori Read more: https://t.co/quF6IPmePK

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

New publication co-authored by team members @IreneValori and Francesco Rizzi!

Using VR social exclusion, the study found that affective touch supported early adolescents’ emotional and autonomic recovery, including more positive affect and lower heart rate.

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Data collection is underway!

Pairs of friends are exploring social touch in VR while we measure brain activity, cardiac activity, and movement kinematics.

Our goal: understand how touch supports coordination and synchrony in shared virtual environments.

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Wanna join our team? We have exciting new open projects on social touch, comfort, health, virtual reality, thermal feedback, and human connection.

Explore the opportunities: https://t.co/4lgq1VTiel

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

@TilburgU @tudresden_de With Dr. Merel Jung, Dr. @jeanne_hecquard & Prof. @MerleFairhurst

Learn more: https://t.co/bOMVQiLOYU

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

We’re investigating whether touch from a social robot can comfort people experiencing low-arousal, low-valence emotions. This NWO-funded collaboration between @TilburgU and @tudresden_de explores how affective haptic feedback shapes emotional experience and social perception.

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

How are physical touch and trust connected?

Our research began with a systematic review of the two-way relationship between touch and trust in human and technology-mediated interactions.

Read more: https://t.co/MKfkvvJpQS

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

@TactileInternet He now explores human–robot interaction, stress regulation, and social touch through fNIRS and movement-based analysis.

Welcome to the team, Fatih!

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Welcome to our new PhD candidate, Fatih! 👋

Fatih previously completed an internship for his Master’s thesis with us at @TactileInternet investigating virtual self-touch in immersive VR, emotion regulation, mindfulness, stress, and psychophysiological responses to acute stress.

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

The study opens up important questions for socio-emotional learning and wellbeing.

Read more: https://t.co/C0LMcUusjq

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

New paper from our team: How do preferences for touch from friends change from adolescence to adulthood?

Using the HandsOn app, we found that age, gender, body area, and relationship context all shape how touch is experienced.

[ConTaktLab @ConTaktLab]

Our Chair, Prof. @MerleFairhurst, features in the latest 6G-life video, exploring how touch shapes human–machine interaction, emotional connection, and more intuitive technology.

Watch here: https://t.co/Br0zBLnUQi