KUSUGURI: a shared tactile interface for bidirectional tickling

Abstract

Tickling, a nonverbal form of communication, can provide entertainment. Therefore, tickling is a desirable addition as content as a remote communication method. However, tickling is difficult to realize because it requires both body contact as well as bidirectionality. In this paper, we propose a method of "Shared Tactile Interface" which allows sharing of a body part with another user at a distance. The interface has three features: direct contact, transfer of the tickling sensation, and bidirectionality. The first allows users to view another person's finger as if it is directly contacting the user's own palm and moving on the user's palm. The second feature delivers a vibration to the user's palm which generates an illusion and perception of a tickling sensation. The third feature enables bidirectional tickling because one user can also tickle the other user's palm in the same manner. We built prototypes based on this design method, and evaluated the proposed method through two technical exhibitions. The users were able to tickle each other, which confirmed that the design method "Shared Tactile Interface" works as expected. However, we found issues especially regarding the reliability of the tickling sensation.