POKE: A New Way of Sharing Emotional Touches During Phone Conversations

Abstract

We present POKE, which is a device that enables callers to share touches during calls. POKE delivers these touches through an inflatable surface on the front of the device that receives index finger pressure inputs on the back of another device, while allowing the callers to maintain a conventional phone-calling posture. A user can receive a call by looking at the physical movement of POKE if the other person is making the user’s device move up and down by touch inputs. Callers can send different touches according to pressure strength, frequency, and pattern. POKE also enables non-verbal tactile communication by exchanging pokes and poke backs. This opens possibilities for developing affective tactile languages over phone calls.