SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SENSING INTERPERSONAL TOUCH USING ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF SKIN

摘要

Touch between people is our fundamental social language. After birth, we interact through touch which is the only interactive sense. Touch is a necessary social catalyst for curing children, developing social bonds, and accelerating motivations. Although touch is important in a variety of social situations, touch is regarded as being taboo with the exception of a romantic relationship and a family relationship. The present invention provides a novel method with respect to ubicomp technology which increases cheerful touches including hand-to-hand and high fives in an average social life. Although it is focused on the interaction in a workplace where touch is usually banned, we can discover a big possibility with respect to the high fives for activating a cheerful work environment, unexpectedly. More specifically, the present invention suggests the high fives, that is, a service for increasing interpersonal touch. First of all, through a user research with 19 workers in the office, the present invention provides design considerations and meaning of the service for the high five recognition. Next, a prototype of the high five system is provided in order to sense the skin potential level; and the function is proven in terms of an accurate detection of the high five. A system (100) for sensing interpersonal touch may include: a pre-operation detecting unit (101); a sensor (102) sensing electrical properties of human skin; a judging unit (103) judging interpersonal touches; and a communication unit (104) transferring the judged result.