#Research lab led by Prof. @MerleFairhurst. We explore the cognitive and neurophysiological correlates of social affective touch and interpersonal coordination
Technische Universität Dresden
Joined September 2023
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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.
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.
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: tu-dresden.de/ing/elektrotec…
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.
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: sciencedirect.com/science/ar…
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.
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.
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: youtube.com/watch?v=bukDiPW8…
Virtual reality’s greatest potential may be connection.
From social inclusion in Cyberball to trust-building with a virtual robot and shared musical experiences, VR can create meaningful bonds through presence, attention, and interaction.
