Dr Ned Barker, of In-Touch, interviews Dr Kate Devlin on the present and future of how sex robots might come to touch our bodies, lives, and society, and the social and ethical issues that arise. NB: In Turned On: Science Sex and Robots you described yourself as a “pro sex feminist with radical leanings”. How… Continue reading Sex, Robots and Touch
Category: Sensory
Synesthesia X1 – 2.44: The dream of individualised synaesthetic experiences
Guest post, by Dr Feng Zhu This blog post refers to the Synesthesia X1 – 2.44 device, a work by Tetsuya Mizuguchi (an iconic figure in computer games [1]) to consider how artistic visions of individualised synaesthetic experiences are shaped by, and could also be outside of, the logic of individual consumption and self-perfection. Figure… Continue reading Synesthesia X1 – 2.44: The dream of individualised synaesthetic experiences
Digital Documentation in Early Years Education: Tactile Losses and Gains
Guest post, by Kate Cowan (@katecowan) Documentation of children’s play is an important part of early years practice that helps educators to make sense of children’s interests and interactions, informing planning, pedagogy and assessment. This practice is currently undergoing significant change as paper-based scrapbooks (consisting of written notes, photographs, paintings, collages etc.) are increasingly being… Continue reading Digital Documentation in Early Years Education: Tactile Losses and Gains
PLEASE [DO NOT] TOUCH – An Exhibition by Inês Norton
Guest Post, by Emília Ferreira and Inês Norton https://vimeo.com/360572208 Film 'PLEASE [DO NOT] TOUCH', by Jungler We have long known that knowledge depends on the senses. We are now, however, experiencing a global fascination with the digital, which interposes between our perception and reality, and we argue, is replacing direct contact with the world. What… Continue reading PLEASE [DO NOT] TOUCH – An Exhibition by Inês Norton
Technologies are reshaping surgical touch
Guest post, by Dr Jeff Bezemer @jeffbezemer Surgeons, like all doctors, frequently palpate (from Latin palpare, ‘to stroke’ or ‘caress’), i.e. they examine the patient’s body by touch. Their touch is typically somewhat invasive in that they manipulate parts of the body with their hands to feel for specific formations inside the body. Outside the… Continue reading Technologies are reshaping surgical touch
Touch-in’ the Virtual: Reflections
By Dr Nikoleta Giannoutsou, In-Touch Our June “Touch-in’ the Virtual” workshop aimed to explore the conceptualisation and experience of ‘touch’ in virtual environments with a diverse group of academics and industry practitioners. These participants came from a wide range of domains, including VR, game design, fashion, sociology, engineering and philosophy. The event, held at the… Continue reading Touch-in’ the Virtual: Reflections
Reconnecting through haptic footwear to minimise loneliness
Guest post, by Emilie B. Cohrt, Designer & Founder of Studio Cohrt, WORTH(COSME) Partnership Project ‘Øjenfryd’, MA Footwear London College of Fashion. https://vimeo.com/266167156 Fig 1. Film, Project Re:Connect, by Emilie B. Cohrt. Project Re:Connect and the Footsie slippers were the end product of my MA Footwear degree conducted at the London College of Fashion. Within a… Continue reading Reconnecting through haptic footwear to minimise loneliness
Cuddle Workshops
By Lili Golmohammadi, IN-TOUCH Through my PhD I am exploring the relationships between touch and loneliness. Although much has been written about loneliness in cognitive and behavioural terms, loneliness felt or addressed through the body is far less understood. https://youtu.be/Guo4ktLxOVU?t=26 Fig 1: Cuddle Nation - London 360 Cuddle Workshop Last month, I signed up for a… Continue reading Cuddle Workshops
Developing a remote touch device
Guest post, by Frederik Brudy. Twitter: @kopfnuss. This post refers to the Tactile Emoticon Project, a collaboration with: · Dr. Aikaterini Fotopoulou Reader in Affective Neuroscience, Research Department of Clinical, Health and Educational Psychology, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Brain Sciences, SLMS, UCL · Professor Nadia Berthouze Professor in Affective Computing and Interaction, UCL Interaction Centre, connected to… Continue reading Developing a remote touch device
On Palpability and Breath: thinking through a kind of limit case for touch
Guest post, by Dr Kate Elswit My research articulates how information is stored and transmitted through bodies in performance, from my first book on archives of watching in early twentieth century Germany, to my more recent work on dance and data. I do not identify as a touch scholar, even though I come to academia… Continue reading On Palpability and Breath: thinking through a kind of limit case for touch
