An Online Survey on the Perception of Mediated Social Touch Interaction and Device Design.

Social touch is essential for our social interactions, communication, and well-being. It has been shown to reduce anxiety and loneliness; and is a key channel to transmit emotions for which words are not sufficient, such as love, sympathy, reassurance. However, direct physical contact is not always possible due to being remotely located, interacting in a virtual environment, or as a result of a health issue.