Haptic communication of dimensions of emotions using air jet based tactile stimulation

Several studies showed the relevance of haptics to convey various types of emotions. This paper proposes to investigate a more suitable tactile stimulation strategy based on mobile air jet which provides a non-intrusive tactile stimulation on different and large areas on the body. Moreover, this tactile strategy allows an efficient simulation of skin mechanoreceptors which play an important role in social and affective behaviors. In order to understand the relationships between the physical features of the air jet and the perception of emotions, we conducted an experimental study with sixteen participants. The results highlight a main effect of the intensity and movement velocity of the air jet stimulation on the evaluations of valence, arousal, and dominance.