iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

New paper from our team: How do preferences for touch from friends change from adolescence to adulthood? Using the HandsOn app, we found that age, gender, body area, and relationship context all shape how touch is experienced. The study opens up important questions for socio-emotional learning

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Our Chair, Prof. MerlecFairhurst, features in the latest 6G-life video, exploring how touch shapes human–machine interaction, emotional connection, and more intuitive technology. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bukD...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Virtual reality’s greatest potential may be connection. From social inclusion in Cyberball to trust-building with a virtual robot and shared musical experiences, VR can create meaningful bonds through presence, attention, and interaction. Read the article in our blog: tu-dresden.de/ing/elektrot...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Which functions of clinical touch can be technologically mediated? Our chapter in the forthcoming book Berührungsmedizin introduces the DSH classification of diagnostic, social, and salutary touch, and explores how wearables, robotics, and haptic systems could support clinical touch when

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

A new systematic review examines physical, human-to-human touch across healthcare professions, looking beyond its diagnostic and clinical functions to its communicative, social, and affective dimensions.

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

A new review explores how physical touch shapes emotional engagement, presence, and immersion across theme parks, immersive theatre, performance art, VR, gaming, and film. Can technology really reproduce the warmth and social meaning of human touch? journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

A new reference work on touch medicine is coming in 2026! Berührungsmedizin explores therapeutic touch from its neurobiological foundations and embodiment to clinical applications, ethics, training, and implementation. We’re looking forward to seeing our research referenced in this upcoming work.

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Our manuscript “Disentangling touch aversion” has been accepted by the Journal of Nonverbal Behavior! The study examines how touch aversion varies across people and relationships, and highlights the roles of sensory sensitivity, threat sensitivity, and relationship context.

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

In this fascinating lecture, Prof. Robert Sapolsky traces decades of research on in- and out-group perception and explores how short- and long-term priming can influence neural activity, decision-making, behavior, and even performance. Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ib2...

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Biracial Identities; Intersectionality; Eye Floaters | Robert Sapolsky Father-Offspring Interviews

Episode 120 of Father-Offspring Interviews. Topics in this episode include how the amygdala processes “us” and “them” in biracial individuals, as well as in other cases of intersectional identities,…

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

How does touch shape our sense of self? Our latest On the Pulse article explores how tactile processing and multisensory integration contribute to body awareness and ownership. Research shows that the brain can even “remap” touch, changing how we perceive where our body is and what belongs to it.

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

First results from the DFG-funded Synergia project: a new physics-based sonification approach transforms iOCT data, retinal anatomy, tool motion, and tissue deformation into real-time auditory feedback for subretinal injection. Paper: arxiv.org/abs/2605.14500

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Can AI understand human emotions, and should it? This Nature Collection explores the promise and challenges of Artificial Emotional Intelligence, from healthcare and education to the ethical questions of privacy, bias, and accountability. Read more: www.nature.com/collections/...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

What makes us feel truly present? In this socialBRIDGES keynote, Prof. Olaf Blanke explores the neuroscience of the sense of self, embodiment, and social presence in VR/XR, and how these insights shape the future of immersive technologies. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmqZ...

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Neuroscience of the Sense of Self and its Relevance for Presence and Social Presence – Olaf Blanke

Neuroscience of the Sense of Self and its Relevance for Presence and Social Presence Prof. Olaf Blanke Swiss Federal Institute of Technology I will discuss the sense of self, especially the bodily…

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Our latest blog post explores new research suggesting that while the perception of softness is preserved in autism, the emotional experience of touch may differ, with important implications for touch research, haptics, and personalized therapies. Read: tu-dresden.de/ing/elektrot...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Can touch be part of medicine? In this #HealingHands short, Dr. Michaela Maria Arnold discusses how evidence-based touch can complement clinical care, helping patients reconnect with their bodies through presence, interoception, and compassionate care. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZKq...

youtube.com

Healing Hands: Touch In and As Medicine | Michaela Maria Arnold on Touch Medicine

Michaela Maria Arnold, MD, is a physician and state-certified massage therapist. As an expert in touch, she has dedicated many years to studying the healing effects of touch within a medical context.…

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Why do we seek social connection when we’re stressed? This review explores how the brain’s μ-opioid receptor (MOR) system regulates social bonding and emotion, proposing a state-dependent model that shows our motivation depends on our emotional state. Read: www.frontiersin.org/journals/beh...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

What shapes our trust in AI, social robots, and other technologies? In this article, Merle Fairhurst and @irenevalori.bsky.social explore how human–technology trust is formed, how it differs from interpersonal trust, and why it matters for the future. Read: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

In the latest #HealingHands video, Dasha Kolesnyk and Elise Seip discuss how research, haptotherapy, and embodied experience can come together to deepen our understanding of healing, emotion, and human connection. Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yPF...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

Are we starting to think like AI? A fascinating new Forbes article explores how people are beginning to emulate the way they believe AI “thinks”—changing how they reason, write, and solve problems. As AI becomes part of everyday life, the question isn’t just how we shape AI but how AI is shaping us

forbes.com

People Are Altering Their Thinking To Think How They Think That AI Thinks

People are starting to emulate AI as to how they think AI thinks. But this is quite problematic. An AI Insider analysis and scoop.

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

What can traditional midwives teach us about touch? In this #HealingHands interview, physician and medical anthropologist Marwa Saleh shares how her research with Kichwa midwives in the Ecuadorian Amazon reshaped her understanding of healthcare. Watch the interview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QMm...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Does inter-brain synchrony drive social connection, or is it just an echo of shared sensory input? Can a human brain sync with an AI agent? Merle Fairhurst and @nicohinrichs.bsky.social are co-editing the NeuroImage Special Issue: "Between Brains, Across Agents: Toward Multi-Agent Neuroscience."

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

On June 6th, @irenevalori.bsky.social presented research on social touch in adolescence and stress regulation at #ESCAN2026. The findings show that adolescents are especially sensitive to social touch, with relationship context, body region, and gender dynamics strongly shaping their experiences.

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Can touch be taught in medicine? In this #HealingHands interview, Michaela Maria Arnold discusses how touch helps build trust, communicate care, and support patients in vulnerable moments—and why it deserves more attention in medical training. Watch: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_-e...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

In a new blog, team member Maryam Alipour argues that the true potential of touch in VR may lie not in realism, but in connection. Touch can help create trust, closeness, and social presence, even when it doesn’t perfectly replicate real-world sensations. Read: tu-dresden.de/ing/elektrot...?

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Can touch be part of psychiatric care? In our Healing Hands interview series, Dr. Tobias Schwippel discusses touch as a fundamental element of psychiatric practice, while also reflecting on its limitations and the importance of professional boundaries. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yern...

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Healing Hands: Touch In and As Medicine | Tobias Udo Schwippel

Dr. Tobias Schwippel is an Attending Physician at the Goethe University Frankfurt and from 2022 to 2024 was Director of Clinical Trials at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His…

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Recorded last year, our Healing Hands: Touch in and as Medicine series features conversations with social psychologists, doctors, psychiatrists, anthropologists, and touch therapists about the role of touch in medicine, care, empathy, and healing. Watch the playlist: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

The concept of LLMorphism describes the growing tendency to assume human cognition works like a large language model simply because AI can now produce human-like language. A fascinating paper exploring the psychological and societal implications of this shift. arxiv.org/abs/2605.05419

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Meet the youngest visitor at the ConTakt Lab 👶✨ @irenevalori.bsky.social’s beautiful baby stopped by the lab to explore our motion capture setup, and seems to be very comfortable surrounded by cameras, immersive technology, and his mommy's research. A scientist in the making? We think so <3

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

What does it mean to be present through an avatar? At the socialBRIDGES conference, Katja Krug (@tudresden.bsky.social) discussed how avatars in mixed reality shape social presence, self-perception, and the acceptance of virtual others in shared spaces. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPSl...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

In the following weeks we’re going to pilot a UX-test series with the first participants. The question is how the feeling of warmth and interpersonal proximity is related and could be altered in the virtual space through thermal belts. In addition to questions regarding hardware fit and positioning,

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

What if the most powerful aspect of virtual reality is connection? Our projects explore how VR can generate trust, inclusion, exclusion, and shared emotional experiences through presence, nonverbal interaction, and collaborative music-making. Read our blog post: tu-dresden.de/ing/elektrot...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

On on April 22–23, we had the pleasure of hosting our collaborator Bernhard Riecke from @sfu.ca. Prof. Riecke shared insights from over 20 years of research with our students and provided valuable feedback on several of our projects. Thank you for the inspiring visit and engaging discussions!

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

What if social connection works like hunger? A paper in Cell Press shows we regulate social contact through “social homeostasis”: We track it, compare it to a set-point, and act when it’s off. Link: www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Missed the socialBRIDGES - Presence conference, or want to revisit the discussions? The recordings are now available on YouTube! We brought together experts from different disciplines to answer: what does it mean to be present in a mediated world? Check them out: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

In memory of Vincent Hayward, a final study with our chair Merle Fairhurst shows that even when touch isn’t more accurate than vision, we still trust it more. Read it here doi.org/10.1163/2213... #Haptics #Neuroscience #Perception

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

In today's #InsideConTaktLab, we show you what it feels like to meet a robot in VR, and choose whether to trust it or not. In this COSMO exhibition experience, participants embody an avatar, walk through a forest, and encounter a robot that offers them a flower. Do you take it, or not? #VR #HRI

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

Interesting paper on vicarious touch in Scientific Reports. 84% report feeling touch when observing it Importantly, the findings also point to substantial heterogeneity, identifying distinct experiential profiles that reflect variability in how individuals perceive and experience vicarious touch.

nature.com

Characteristics of vicarious touch reports in a general population - Scientific Reports

Scientific Reports - Characteristics of vicarious touch reports in a general population

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

New preprint! We systematically examine touch aversion: its measurement, behavioural correlates, and links to individual differences. Findings point to a multidimensional construct and the need for better alignment across measures. Link: www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-8...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

This video shows how learning via backpropagation (used in most ML systems) differs from how the brain may learn in parallel through predictive coding. www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-OL... Related paper: arxiv.org/abs/2202.09467

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

New research on autism and touch. Makita et al. (2025) show that adults with ASD perceive softness normally, but experience less increase in pleasantness when touching soft, skin-like materials. Suggests differences in affective evaluation of touch, not sensory detection.

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Our collaborators at Dutch Touch Society have been nominated for the Klokhuis Wetenschapsprijs! Their project explores how social touch can reduce stress. Help them win and bring touch research to national TV! Vote: hetklokhuis.nl/dossier/153/... Select Hand in hand tegen de spanning & click “stem”

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

New Editorial by @irenevalori.bsky.social and Merle Fairhurst introducing the special issue: “The Social Bridge: An Interdisciplinary View on Trust in Technology.” A timely reflection on how trust is built and shaped in digital environments. Read here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

The new book Humans, Robots and Virtual Worlds in the Tactile Internet is now available! With CeTI, we're excited to have contributed chapters to this forward-looking volume on the future of immersive tech and human-machine interaction. Get it: shop.elsevier.com/books/humans...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Today we celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science The 2026 theme highlights the power of connecting AI, social science, STEM and finance to build inclusive futures. At our team —led by a woman committed to empowering women in science— inclusion is foundational.

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Call for Contributions for a NeuroImage Special Issue led by Merle Fairhurst (CeTI/@tudresden.bsky.social) and @nicohinrichs.bsky.social (@mpicbs.bsky.social) Focus: hyperscanning, inter-brain coupling, multimodal neuroimaging, VR/AR/haptics and computational model

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Interesting paper by Banerjee et al. (2025) on a multi-user haptic glove & sleeve system for VR. Especially compelling is the focus on shared tactile feedback across physically distant users. A great step toward social touch in VR. arxiv.org/pdf/2502.13421

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Digital touch has evolved from vibrations to immersive haptics, raising unique ethical challenges. Passive digital touch in particular demands careful attention to ethics, as increasingly realistic haptics can shape sensations, beliefs, and well-being. Read our blog: tu-dresden.de/ing/elektrot...

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ConTaktLab @contaktlab.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Our Spotlight on Tactile Sensitivity brought together experts to explore individual differences in touch, from social touch research to tactile sensor development. Great visit and exchange from the teams of Ilona Croy and @utasailer.bsky.social

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