Audio-tactile stimuli to improve health and well-being : a preliminary position paper

From literature and through common experience it is known that stimulation of the tactile (touch) sense or auditory (hearing) sense can be used to improve people's health and well-being. For example, to make people relax, feel better, sleep better or feel comforted. In this position paper we propose the concept of combined auditory-tactile stimulation and argue that it potentially has positive effects on human health and well-being through influencing a user's body and mental state. Such effects have, to date, not yet been fully explored in scientific research. The current relevant state of the art is briefly addressed and its limitations are indicated. Based on this, a vision is presented of how auditory-tactile stimulation could be used in healthcare and various other application domains. Three interesting research challenges in this field are identified: 1) identifying relevant mechanisms of human perception of combined auditory-tactile stimuli; 2) finding methods for automatic conversions between audio and tactile content; 3) using measurement and analysis of human bio-signals and behavior to adapt the stimulation in an optimal way to the user. Ideas and possible routes to address these challenges are presented

Audio-tactile stimulation: a tool to improve health and well-being?

Stimulation of the tactile sense or the hearing sense can be used to improve a person’s health and well-being. For example, to make someone relax, feel better, or sleep better. In this position paper we present the concept of auditory-tactile stimulation for health and well-being. Through carefully selected audio-tactile stimuli a person's bodily, mental and emotional state may be influenced. The state of the art is described and its limitations are indicated. Then, a vision is presented on how auditory-tactile stimulation could be beneficial in several application domains. Three specific research areas are identified: identifying mechanisms of perception of auditory-tactile stimuli; methods for automatic conversions between audio and tactile domains; and automated analysis of human bio-signals and behaviour for adapting the stimulation optimally to the user