Recent technologies allow for novel classes of wearable and holdable devices that make use of forms of haptic communication and interaction that go beyond elementary uses such as simply attracting attention. This can give rise to an expanded design space that raises many research issues, as this workshop will explore.
Haptic technologies which communicate or interact via the sense of touch have the advantage of being more discreet and more body-centric than other modalities traditionally used for user interaction and can enhance or substitute for other sensory channels. The haptic sense can be used in situations of perceptual deficits (e.g. due to health-related conditions), or oversaturation due to environmental demands on other senses. Notifications and even complex messages can be mediated haptically to health professionals and patients, prompting them to perform an action, reminding them for a forgotten action or conveying instructions for a different path of action.
The goal of this workshop is to spark interest in the topic of haptic technologies for healthcare, with a specific focus on using haptic technologies for assisting, enhancing and extending current practices, both in the hospital and home setting.