TickleFoot: design, development and evaluation of a novel foot-tickling mechanism that can evoke laughter

Don Samitha Elvitigala, Roger Boldu, Suranga Nanayakkara, Denys J.C. Matthies

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

8 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Tickling is a type of sensation that is associated with laughter, smiling, or other similar reactions. Psychology research has shown that tickling and laughter can significantly relieve stress. Although several tickling artifacts have been suggested in prior work, limited knowledge is available if those artifacts could evoke laughter. In this article, we aim at filling this gap by designing and developing a novel foot-tickling mechanism that can evoke laughter. We first developed an actuator that can create tickling sensations along the sole of the foot utilising magnet-driven brushes. Then, we conducted two studies to identify the most ticklish locations of the foot's sole and stimulation patterns that can evoke laughter. In a follow-up study with a new set of participants, we confirmed that the identified stimuli could evoke laughter. From the participants' feedback, we derived several applications that such a simulation could be useful. Finally, we embedded our actuators into a flexible insole, demonstrating the potential of a wearable tickling insole.

Original languageEnglish
Article number20
Number of pages23
JournalACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction
Volume29
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • elciting emotions
  • eliciting laughter
  • fun
  • haptics
  • laughter
  • magnetic locomotion
  • Tickling

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