Interactions became more pleasant and engaging. The researchers also tested how variations in gesture speed and vibration<\/a> type affected the emotional response, offering insights for future design.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though people are spending just as much, if not more, time socializing online, we\u2019re seeing rising levels of depression, anxiety and what\u2019s often described as \u2018touch starvation,\u2019\u201d said Heather Culbertson, associate professor at USC Viterbi and the study\u2019s corresponding author.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople will continue interacting virtually \u2014 it\u2019s part of modern life. But how can we make online interactions better reflect the social benefits that come from real-world experiences?\u201d<\/p>\n Deeply personal project<\/p>\n The system emerged from a shared desire to feel closer to loved ones during long periods of separation. <\/p>\n Lead researcher and first author Premankur Banerjee, a doctoral student at USC, said the project came from lived experience<\/p>\n \u201cThis project was born from a simple, deeply human desire: to feel closer to the people we miss,\u201d Banerjee said.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving spent over five years away from my own loved ones, this research was more than academic \u2014 it was personal,\u201d he added. \u201cIt\u2019s about using technology not just to simulate presence, but to restore a sense of physical closeness that\u2019s often lost in long-distance communication.\u201d<\/p>\n The technology\u2019s implications stretch beyond casual conversation. <\/p>\n It could help patients in hospitals connect with family, enhance engagement in hybrid classrooms, or bring comfort to people separated by military deployment or travel.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile platforms like Zoom and FaceTime have allowed families, friends and colleagues to maintain visual and verbal contact, these modes lack the physicality that humans naturally crave,\u201d Culbertson said.<\/p>\n She added, \u201cWhile the technology will not replace the experience of in-person contact, it can be a powerful tool to augment social interaction when physical presence is not possible.\u201d<\/p>\n As more people turn to virtual spaces for daily life, integrating touch<\/a> may be key to restoring a basic human need. <\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/HandArmVibrations2-1639x2048-1.webp\")
<\/a>New wearable haptic system. Credit \u2013 Premankur Banerjee\/USC Viterbi School of Engineering<\/p>\n