Keywords: Electronics , Haptics , Design space for touch communication

Touch-based communication devices allow transmission of tactile sensations remotely. These devices can enhance existing communications by providing additional bandwidth for information. The addition of a new communication channel has appeal for deaf-blind users, as well as mainstream users. This paper presents design issues encountered while exploring the sense of touch for remote communication. Scenarios were also proposed to define possible user interactions. A series of challenges and points for consideration in designing touch-based tangible user interfaces are presented.

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[?] The aim was to design a communication tool using tactile sensation, particularly for deaf-blind users.[?]

The following features were chosen for our exploration into the touch-based communication design space: ?
-> Bi-directional (vs uni-directional) : Each device will have the ability to send and receive signals.
-> Asynchronous (vs synchronous) : Users can interrupt each other because they can send and receive at the same time.
-> Asymmetric (vs symmetric) : Previous work on symmetric mappings using tangible interfaces were shown to result in users fighting for control. By separating the input and output channels, users will be prevented from interrupting the others transmission. ?
-> Analog (vs digital) : The ability to communicate using analog signals allows more variety in communication.