ComTouch meeting minutes 7/17/01
Hiroshi, Sile, Rob, Mike, Zahra, Kenji, Flora, Angela

Brainstorming testing ideas...
 

Ergonomics:

Kenji is working on an ergonomic, configurable implementation using wire and silicone.

Rob suggested taking a look at the EXOS device configuration
noting that a break in silicone can allow the piece to slide along the wire for adjustment
 

Overlapping input and output space:

kinesthetic feedback from skin
etherphone
pacinan corpuscles

2 actuators use one->superimpose-->1/2 as many vibrators
build both-->conincident if possible-->resolution of speaker
competition
cooperation
time division space division
**Try this test of superimposing 2 vibrations on one vibrator

We know that touch can convey something... now what? What can we say about touch?
MIke: correlation touch<-->nonverbal information
Compare speech to (touch + speech)

Possible areas of interest:
Gestures and turntaking
context of use of touch-->it's a new modality
comtouch->ability to convey something not conveyed with audio
introverted and extroverted people-->use touch more. Perhaps this technology helps introverted in experssion?
novelty effect

Complementary vs. redundant information
content in guesture and speech
impossible to gauge with tactile
audio & vision--> have gestures
the two modalies express point of views that can be both redundant vs. contradictory

Mike thinks that the interesting thing about comtouch is that it is both new and augmenting existing interaction.
1)touch comunication across distance-->new
2)communication I already do

he mentions FMTB-Justine's model
 

Paper discussion

design sketch of 5
design space-->goal of design
experiment to test
first principle

One finger experiment
How much does one finger of communicaition convey? What is the essence of tactile communication? How much quality does it add in communication?
Paper about design and invention of multifinger device.
The basic component mechanism of touch can support commuication
Simplified earpiece vs. full blown phone
Operate a bow-> to prove the design of a violin
usability-->phone channel
Paper describes the whole system

Experimental design of one finger in communciation
Is it worhtwhile having touch communicaiton at all?
new way - tactile
one way - tactile only?
turntaking on telephone Telephone2Telephone vs. F2F
end-> we think indication of something

Possible Claims
touch is useful? only touch represent interaction

propositional vs. interactional communication-->Mike will give us Must reads

This Kind of interaction:
complements speech based communication (not specifically audio) (audio connotes signal processing). (not propositional)

Touch enhance conversation
-->not content
-->interaction flow of comunciation
-->add value

Content through just touch--> sign lanugage
Elaborate coding

Desert survival task
-- 10 things to take on a desert, rank them jointly
use their model direct to claim value of touch
agree on ranking--- negotional skills

EXPERIMENT
The experiment of desert survival and comtouch
then signal comparsion, video tape (2 video cameras)
control  is no touch condition
Voice signal
Touch signal
what are the interesting features
Time code in sync/ timestamped
8 people in each group *2 = 16 people total (aim for 20) throuw out 2-3 people
outlliers--WHY?

Hypothesis- there might be a correlation between turn-taking nonverbal and pauses & disappearances of conversation and increas in tactile activity

Null-tactile activity is not correlating

"Beware causation and correlation", Says Mike.
features of nonverbal and tactile communication
mulituser->turntaking is easier
benefits that tactile communication could have

We can also aim for
CSCW
affective information short paper in CHI