Tactile Interaction Research Articles

Linking Haptic Parameters to the Emotional Space for Mediated Social Touch

Social touch is essential for creating and maintaining strong interpersonal bonds amongst humans. However, when distance separates users, they often rely on voice and video communication technologies to stay connected with each other, and the lack of tactile interactions between users lowers the quality of the social interactions. In this research, we investigated haptic patterns to communicate five tactile messages comprising of four types of social touch (high five, handshake, caress, and asking for attention) and one physiological signal (the pulse of a heartbeat), delivered on the hand through a haptic glove. Since social interactions are highly dependent on their context, we conceived two interaction scenarios for each of the five tactile messages, conveying distinct emotions being spread across the circumplex model of emotions. We conducted two user studies: in the first one participants tuned the parameters of haptic patterns to convey tactile messages in each scenario, and a follow up study tested naïve participants to assess the validity of these patterns. Our results show that all haptic patterns were recognized above chance level, and the well-defined parameter clusters had a higher recognition rate, reinforcing the hypothesis that some social touches have more universal patterns than others. We also observed parallels between the parameters' levels and the type of emotions they conveyed based on their mapping in the circumplex model of emotions.

Housing and Environmental Enrichment of the Domestic Ferret: A Multi-Sector Survey.

Simple SummaryHow ferrets across sectors are housed and the environmental enrichment provided (e.g., toys, beds, exploration of new sights and smells) can directly impact their health and wellbeing. Through an online questionnaire reaching ferret caretakers from pet owner, laboratory, zoo, rescue, and working (e.g., pest control) sectors, we describe how ferrets are housed, the enrichment they receive, enrichment types that ferrets most enjoy and those which may be harmful or problematic. Of 754 responses, 82.4% were from pet owners. Most ferrets were housed with at least one other ferret, and the type of housing varied across sectors from single-level cages to free-ranging housing. Environmental enrichments most commonly reported were hammocks, tunnels and human interaction, with ferrets reported to most enjoy digging, tunnels, human interaction and exploration. Scent trails were also reported to be among the most enjoyable enrichments but were rarely provided, suggesting that they could be used more. Problematic enrichment included rubber items, such as Kongs®, which could be chewed and swallowed, narrow tunnels trapping ferrets, and fabrics catching claws. These items should therefore be avoided. Our results suggest that all sectors have room to improve both housing and enrichment to better ferret welfare.Ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) are kept and used in multiple sectors of society, but little is known about how they are housed and what environmental enrichment (EE) they may benefit from. We aimed to help guide caretakers about what housing and EE can be provided for ferrets. Through an online questionnaire of ferret caretakers, including pet, laboratory, zoological collection, rescue and working animal sectors internationally, we described ferret housing, opportunities for exploration, EE provision and caretaker opinions on ferrets’ preferred EE types, and problematic EE. In total, 754 valid responses from 17 countries were analysed, with most (82.4%) coming from pet owners. Most ferrets were housed socially, with housing varying across sectors from single-level cages to free-range housing in a room or outdoor enclosure; pet owners mostly used multi-level cages. The most commonly reported EE included hammocks, tunnels and tactile interaction with caretakers. Respondents reported that ferrets particularly enjoyed digging substrates, tunnels, human interaction and exploration. The most frequently reported problems were that ingestion of unsuitable chew toys and rubber items could cause internal blockages, narrow tunnels could trap ferrets, and certain fabrics that could catch claws. This suggests a need for increased awareness of the risks of these EE types and for more commercially available safety-tested ferret EE. Scent trails were relatively rarely provided but were reported to be enjoyed and harmless, so we recommend that these should be provided more commonly. Our results suggest that there is scope to improve ferret housing and EE provision to benefit ferret welfare across all sectors.

Intersubjectivity and (non-)shared modes of interaction in Australian tactile signing

Intersubjectivity has been presented as a way of better understanding how, whether and to what degree interlocutors share or can negotiate linguistic meaning in interaction. The current study investigates manual and non-manual pragmatic cues used by deafblind Australians, and the degree to which these cues are shared with visual or novice tactile signers. We first examine focus group discussions in which deafblind Australians discuss what they consider to be the most problematic aspects of interaction with visual signers. Issues raised include the need to negotiate and establish a signing space and greater care in how signs are conveyed. We next analyse a conversation in which an experienced tactile signer introduces a less experienced signer to the importance of what she calls “touch expression”. The experienced signer highlights that touch expression--greater attention paid to where one places/rests one’s hands and/or positions one’s legs or arms--enables an interlocutor to signal greater co-presence and shared attention to emotions and tone. We close by acknowledging arguments made elsewhere that the intersubjective world of tactile signers is profoundly different from visual signers, and that effort should be taken to better understand tactile interaction from the perspective of the deafblind signers.

Nanoparticle-Based Magnetorheological Elastomers with Enhanced Mechanical Deflection for Haptic Displays

Haptics allows tactile interactions between humans and digital interfaces. Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) constitute a promising candidate material for creating the tactile interface of the future─one able to recreate 3D shapes that can be sensed with touch. Furthermore, an MRE formed by using nanoparticles, as opposed to previously used microparticles, is necessary to generate a variety of shapes involving sharp curvatures over small, micrometer-scale horizontal distances to pave the way for haptic displays with microtexture resolution. Here we fabricated both isotropic and anisotropic MREs with different concentrations (2-8 vol % nanoparticles) of soft, low-remanence ferromagnetic nanoparticles. When placed in a magnetic field gradient, isotropic MREs, nonintuitively, show higher deflection than anisotropic MREs, with the former achieving displacement on the order of a millimeter at just 100 mT. This enhanced performance in the isotropic case is explained based on the soft magnetic nature of the nanoparticles. We show that performance improves with magnetic content up to a composition of 6 vol %, where it plateaus. This behavior is attributed to the stiffness of the composite material increasing at a faster rate than the magnetization as the rigid magnetic nanoparticles are added to the elastomeric matrix. Moreover, 6 vol % microparticle-based isotropic and anisotropic MREs were fabricated and compared with the nanoparticle-based MREs. Anisotropic nanoparticle-based films show higher deflection when compared with their microparticle-based counterparts. The latter is only able to match the nanoparticle film deflection at higher applied fields of almost 300 mT. This performance difference between nanoparticle and microparticle-based films is attributed to the increased anisotropic film stiffness resulting from the larger micrometer-size particles. Finally, the optimally designed nanoparticle-based isotropic film was utilized to create a programmable and real-time reconfigurable braille-inspired interface.

Perceived Intensity Model of Dual-Frequency Superimposed Vibration: Pythagorean Sum.

This paper presents a model for estimating the perceived intensity of a superimposed dual-frequency vibration from the perceived intensities of its two component vibrations. Based on the previous findings in the literature, we hypothesize that the three variables follow the Pythagorean relationship. Two psychophysical experiments were performed for verification with a wide range of single-frequency and superimposed vibrations applied to the fingertip. In Experiment I, we measured the perceived intensities of a large number of single-frequency vibrations and found a psychophysical magnitude function. Experiment II was designed based on the results of Experiment I in order to test the research hypothesis. For the 108 dual-frequency vibrations tested, the Pythagorean model showed 4.0% of average error in estimating the perceived intensity of a dual-frequency vibration from those of its two components. This model is robust and practical, and can be useful for any tactile interaction applications that make use of superimposed vibrations.

Socialisation of Adolescents with Cognitive Disorders through Emotional Intelligence

Objective: To study the influence of the development of emotional intelligence of adolescents with CDs through the involvement of their parents and teachers in socialisation. The emotional sphere of adolescents with cognitive disorders (CDs) is no less important than correcting their cognitive development. The methods that allow fixing the patients' ability to recognise emotions don't realise the functioning of their emotional sphere.
 Method: Questionnaires were used for diagnosing the emotional interaction of parents and teachers with adolescents with CD, the questionnaire for measuring the socialisation of adolescents "How adapted I am to life" by A. Furman, statistical analysis ANOVA, correlation analysis r of Pearson, content analysis of the qualitative data.
 Results: Standardised questionaries developed that reflect the formation of emotional intelligence of the adolescent with CDs through the interaction with their parents and teachers. Empirical data obtained while research resulted in statistically significant correlations of emotional intelligence between parents, teachers and psychologists and social adaptation measured via Furman questionary. It was found that the positive emotional interaction and tactile support of adolescents with CDs with their parents increases the level of social adaptation. Similar correlations were found in teachers' emotional interaction with the adolescents with CDs. The number of parents who showed a low emotional and tactile interaction with adolescents was 20%.
 Conclusions: Detected statistically significant correlations proved that the high role of the participation of parents and teachers in the process of forming emotional intelligence contributes to the successful socialisation of adolescents with cognitive disorders.

Coevolution of Myoelectric Hand Control under the Tactile Interaction among Fingers and Objects.

The usability of a prosthetic hand differs significantly from that of a real hand. Moreover, the complexity of manipulation increases as the number of degrees of freedom to be controlled increases, making manipulation with biological signals extremely difficult. To overcome this problem, users need to select a grasping posture that is adaptive to the object and a stable grasping method that prevents the object from falling. In previous studies, these have been left to the operating skills of the user, which is extremely difficult to achieve. In this study, we demonstrate how stable and adaptive grasping can be achieved according to the object regardless of the user's operation technique. The required grasping technique is achieved by determining the correlation between the motor output and each sensor through the interaction between the prosthetic hand and the surrounding stimuli, such as myoelectricity, sense of touch, and grasping objects. The agents of the 16-DOF robot hand were trained with the myoelectric signals of six participants, including one child with a congenital forearm deficiency. Consequently, each agent could open and close the hand in response to the myoelectric stimuli and could accomplish the object pickup task. For the tasks, the agents successfully identified grasping patterns suitable for practical and stable positioning of the objects. In addition, the agents were able to pick up the object in a similar posture regardless of the participant, suggesting that the hand was optimized by evolutionary computation to a posture that prevents the object from being dropped.

Comparison of the Static and Dynamic Vibrotactile Interactive Perception of Walking Navigation Assistants for Limited Vision People

As an effective indication signal, vibration tactile has been widely studied. However, there is still a lack of comparative studies on the use of tactile interaction perception of both static vibration and dynamic vibration as direction indication signals for walking-assistance navigation products for the limited vision. Limited vision people have to perceive the travel environment through nonvisual senses. Besides, vibration and touch can reduce cognitive pressure in complex environments compared with auditory. This study aimed to compare the comprehensive interactive perception of direction indication by both static vibration and dynamic vibration in walking-assistance navigation products for limited vision people. In the tactile interaction perception experiment of static vibration and dynamic vibration, twenty-four participants were involved in the experiment. We measured the direction reaction time, the correct number of direction perceptions, and asked participants to evaluate the degree of perception and perceived comfort in each mode. It can be seen from the results that compared with the dynamic vibration, the static vibration had a higher correct perception numbers (F = 10.394, P = 0.006) and a shorter reaction time (F = 5.276, P = 0.038). And participants’ perception degree (F = 21.221, P < 0.001) and comfort degree (F = 47.692, P < 0.001) in static mode were higher than those in dynamic mode. In conclusion, the static vibration is superior to the dynamic vibration in terms of the comprehensive perception of direction indication. The static vibrotactile interactive perception is preferred as a direct indication signal in the walking-assistance navigation products for the limited vision.

Looking for haptics. Touch digitalization business strategies in luxury and fashion during COVID-19 and beyond

The sense of touch is central to fashion and luxury, because dress - garments and accessories - is experienced with and on the body. But on e-commerce websites, dress is dematerialized, and touch sensation simulated using audio-visual means. The growth of digital fashion communication during the COVID-19 pandemic has spotlighted this issue. However, developments in haptic technologies suggest that new modes of tactile interaction could be available in the online domain. Through interviews with fourteen fashion and luxury executives in Italy and Switzerland, this article investigates touch digitalization strategies during COVID-19 and the potential which haptics may hold to fill the online tactile void, using two surface haptic technologies as prompts. By doing so, this research fills a gap in the study of digital fashion and haptics, to the benefit of the academic and practitioner communities. Results indicate that executives deployed a host of visualization tactics during lockdown, reinforcing their conviction that still and moving images furnish an acceptable surrogate for touch sensation in the online domain. In fact, participants questioned the value of mediated tactile feedback provided by surface haptic devices. However, these experts also concurred that the technology holds promise, envisioning future use of haptic technologies in digital business-to-business and end-consumer markets. These could include haptic data integration within virtual prototyping, haptically enriched digital content for customer engagement, multisensory brand promotions in mixed or virtual reality, and phygital experiences.

Thermal effusivity of different tabletop materials in relation to users’ perception

Tactile interaction between humans and elements in the built environment, such as furniture, is often underappreciated. The aim of this study was to objectively evaluate thermal properties of ten tabletop materials as well as user perceptions of those materials after use. Sixteen participants tested ten materials in a randomised order. Infrared thermography was used to determine tabletop temperature distribution and change. Materials with lower thermal effusivity (wood-based materials) in general reached higher surface temperature differences after 15 min of contact and were rated as more pleasant to touch, more suitable for writing, and more liked for everyday use. Participants’ sex and forearm mass had no effect on the temperature after contact. Participants gave the highest ratings to the appearance of oak-based materials. Surface treatment affected subjective evaluation of the materials. The tabletop made of lacquered solid wood had the most favourable thermal and user-rated characteristics.

Research on Tactile Interaction Measurement and Evaluation Method of Vehicle Switch

In this paper, the method of vehicle switch-like tactile interaction measurement is explored by using high-degree-of-freedom robot objective test equipment. Besides, this paper also presents a complete set of vehicles switch-like tactile interaction subjective and objective comprehensive test evaluation method. This paper uses this method to evaluate many kinds of vehicles in the market. The results show that the tactile interaction evaluation method, which combines subjective evaluation with robot objective test, can effectively evaluate the vehicle’s tactile interaction performance and provide important theoretical support for quality control of vehicles’ interactive parts.

Effects of endocannabinoids on feed intake, stress response and whole-body energy metabolism in dairy cows

Endocannabinoids, particularly anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), are instrumental in regulating energy homeostasis and stress response. However, little is known about the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in ruminants, although EC could improve dairy health and productivity, at least by increasing feed intake. In this study, we report if intraperitoneal (i.p.) AEA and 2-AG administration affects feed intake, whole-body macronutrient metabolism, isolation and restraint stress, and whether diet composition modulates circulating endocannabinoid concentrations in cows. Twenty Simmental cows in late lactation were fed a grass silage and a corn silage based diet. On each diet, cows received daily i.p. injections with either AEA (5 µg/kg; n = 7), 2-AG (2.5 µg/kg; n = 6) or saline (n = 7) for 8 days. Endocannabinoid administration for 5 days under free-ranging (non-stressed) conditions had no effect on feed intake or energy balance, but attenuated the stress-induced suppression of feed intake when housing changed to individual tie-stalls without social or tactile interaction. Endocannabinoids increased whole-body carbohydrate oxidation, reduced fat oxidation, and affected plasma non-esterified fatty acid concentrations and fatty acid contents of total lipids. There was no effect of endocannabinoids on plasma triglyceride concentrations or hepatic lipogenesis. Plasma AEA concentrations were not affected by diet, however, plasma 2-AG concentrations tended to be lower on the corn silage based diet. In conclusion, endocannabinoids attenuate stress-induced hypophagia, increase short-term feed intake and whole-body carbohydrate oxidation and decrease whole-body fat oxidation in cows.

Theoretical Foundations to the Impact of Dog-Related Activities on Human Hedonic Well-Being, Life Satisfaction and Eudaimonic Well-Being.

Cross-sectional comparisons of well-being between dog owners and non-owners commonly generate inconsistent results. Focusing on the uniqueness of the relationship might help address this issue and provide a stronger foundation for dog-related psychotherapeutic interventions. This study aims to evaluate the impact of dog-related activities (e.g., exercising the dog) on owner hedonic well-being, life satisfaction and eudaimonic well-being. It was also hypothesised that psychological closeness to the dog would affect these well-being outcomes. For this study, 1030 dog owners aged over 18 years old answered an online questionnaire about the impact of 15 groups of dog-related activities on their well-being. Ordinal regressions were used to estimate the mean response (and its uncertainty) for each outcome, while conditioning for psychological closeness to the dog and controlling for several key covariates. Tactile interactions and dog playing were significantly more beneficial than other activities for hedonic well-being, and dog training and dog presence for eudaimonic well-being. In contrast, dog health issues and behavioural problems were linked to decrements in these well-being outcomes. Higher psychological closeness to the dog predicted greater improvement in well-being in positive dog-related activities. Our quantitative study validates the general findings of previous qualitative work and lays the groundwork for future longitudinal studies.

Enabling visually impaired people to learn three-dimensional tactile graphics with a 3DOF haptic mouse

BackgroundIn this work, we present a novel sensory substitution system that enables to learn three dimensional digital information via touch when vision is unavailable. The system is based on a mouse-shaped device, designed to jointly perceive, with one finger only, local tactile height and inclination cues of arbitrary scalar fields. The device hosts a tactile actuator with three degrees of freedom: elevation, roll and pitch. The actuator approximates the tactile interaction with a plane tangential to the contact point between the finger and the field. Spatial information can therefore be mentally constructed by integrating local and global tactile cues: the actuator provides local cues, whereas proprioception associated with the mouse motion provides the global cues.MethodsThe efficacy of the system is measured by a virtual/real object-matching task. Twenty-four gender and age-matched participants (one blind and one blindfolded sighted group) matched a tactile dictionary of virtual objects with their 3D-printed solid version. The exploration of the virtual objects happened in three conditions, i.e., with isolated or combined height and inclination cues. We investigated the performance and the mental cost of approximating virtual objects in these tactile conditions.ResultsIn both groups, elevation and inclination cues were sufficient to recognize the tactile dictionary, but their combination worked at best. The presence of elevation decreased a subjective estimate of mental effort. Interestingly, only visually impaired participants were aware of their performance and were able to predict it.ConclusionsThe proposed technology could facilitate the learning of science, engineering and mathematics in absence of vision, being also an industrial low-cost solution to make graphical user interfaces accessible for people with vision loss.

Survival of polymeric microstructures subjected to interrogatory touch.

Polymeric arrays of microrelief structures have a range of potential applications. For example, to influence wettability, to act as biologically inspired adhesives, to resist biofouling, and to play a role in the "feel" of an object during tactile interaction. Here, we investigate the damage to micropillar arrays comprising pillars of different modulus, spacing, diameter, and aspect ratio due to the sliding of a silicone cast of a human finger. The goal is to determine the effect of these parameters on the types of damage observed, including adhesive failure and ploughing of material from the finger onto the array. Our experiments point to four principal conclusions [1]. Aspect ratio is the dominant parameter in determining survivability through its effect on the bending stiffness of micropillars [2]. All else equal, micropillars with larger diameter are less susceptible to breakage and collapse [3]. The spacing of pillars in the array largely determines which type of adhesive failure occurs in non-surviving arrays [4]. Elastic modulus plays an important role in survivability. Clear evidence of elastic recovery was seen in the more flexible polymer and this recovery led to more instances of pristine survivability where the stiffer polymer tended to ablate PDMS. We developed a simple model to describe the observed bending of micropillars, based on the quasi-static mechanics of beam-columns, that indicated they experience forces ranging from 10-4-10-7 N to deflect into adhesive contact. Taken together, results obtained using our framework should inform design considerations for microstructures intended to be handled by human users.

Shipboard Operations Room Layout Analysis Using Modeling and Simulation

The introduction of low-profile consoles into shipboard operations room opens new possibilities to design its spatial layout. A modeling study was conducted to examine six layout options by manipulating two design factors: console orientation and supervisor seat assignment. The quality of each option was evaluated algorithmically based on its support to operator interaction. The results revealed the strengths and weaknesses of each design: face-to-face was found to be superior for supporting visual and auditory communication, face-to-back was better at facilitating tactile interaction, whereas back-to-back was preferable for an operations room where extensive interaction involved operators moving to one another’s workstations. Benefits were also predicted for configurations where supervisors were assigned to a side seat, primarily for improving the cost scores of tactile and distance interaction links. Results from this study strongly support the inclusion of faceto-face setup and alternative supervisor seating assignment as options in future shipboard operations room design.

Midfrontal theta oscillation encodes haptic delay

Haptic technologies aim to simulate tactile or kinesthetic interactions with a physical or virtual environment in order to enhance user experience and/or performance. However, due to stringent communication and computational needs, the user experience is influenced by delayed haptic feedback. While delayed feedback is well understood in the visual and auditory modalities, little research has systematically examined the neural correlates associated with delayed haptic feedback. In this paper, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to study sensory and cognitive neural correlates caused by haptic delay during passive and active tasks performed using a haptic device and a computer screen. Results revealed that theta power oscillation was significantly higher at the midfrontal cortex under the presence of haptic delay. Sensory correlates represented by beta rebound were found to be similar in the passive task and different in the active task under the delayed and synchronous conditions. Additionally, the event related potential (ERP) P200 component is modulated under the haptic delay condition during the passive task. The P200 amplitude significantly reduced in the last 20% of trials during the passive task and in the absence of haptic delay. Results suggest that haptic delay could be associated with increased cognitive control processes including multi-sensory divided attention followed by conflict detection and resolution with an earlier detection during the active task. Additionally, haptic delay tends to generate greater perceptual attention that does not significantly decay across trials during the passive task.

Experimental evidence for female mate choice in a noctuid moth

Sexual signal evolution is shaped by whether only one or both sexes execute mate choice. When mate choice by both sexes is considered, the same signalling modality is generally inferred for males and females. In the noctuid moth Chloridea ( Heliothis ) virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), both sexes may be signallers and responders, as both emit a sex-specific pheromone. Male mate choice is based on the female sex pheromone, perceived via the antennae, and has been well documented. However, whether females choose partners and whether their choice is based on the male pheromone are unknown. Since female mate choice is expected when males vary in quality, we reared males on two different larval diets that affected their size, which correlated positively with their fitness. When given a choice, more females mated with larger than with smaller males, and these females produced more eggs and larvae. Female choice was not affected by the absolute amount or composition of the male pheromone. Moreover, we found that antennaless females mated as readily as intact females, indicating that antennal sensory input is not required for females to mate. To determine whether females make an active choice, we studied courtship behaviour in detail and observed that females determined the outcome of courtship by moving away from the male (avoidance) or by facilitating copulation with an abdominal bend (acceptance). Additionally, we discovered that tactile sensory stimuli may be involved during courtship. Because tactile interactions may mediate contact-based (chemical) communication, we also investigated putative pheromone components on moth legs, but found no differences between the sexes. Together, our study is the first comprehensive investigation of female mate choice in a heliothine moth. • In the noctuid moth Chloridea virescens , females mated more with larger males. • Larger males were higher quality mating partners than smaller males. • The quality and quantity of male hairpencil pheromone did not explain female choice. • Females showed avoidance and acceptance behaviour, and thus chose partners actively. • Male traits other than the hairpencil pheromone likely affect female choice.

Nanotexture Shape and Surface Energy Impact on Electroadhesive Human-Machine Interface Performance.

With the ubiquity of touch screens and the commercialization of electroadhesion-based surface haptic devices, modeling tools that capture the multiphysical phenomena within the finger-device interface and their interaction are critical to design devices that achieve higher performance and reliability at lower cost. While electroadhesion has successfully demonstrated the capability to change tactile perception through friction modulation, the mechanism of electroadhesion in the finger-device interface is still unclear, partly due to the complex interfacial physics including contact deformation, capillary formation, electric field, and their complicated coupling effects that have not been addressed comprehensively. A multiphysics model is presented here to predict the friction force for finger-surface tactile interactions at the nanoscale. The nanoscopic multiphysical phenomena are coupled to study the impacts of nanotexture and surface energy in the touch interface. With macroscopic friction force measurements as verification, the model is further used to propose textures that have maximum electroadhesion effect and minimum sensitivity to relative humidity and user perspiration rate. This model can guide the performance improvement of future electroadhesion-based surface haptic devices and other touch-based human-machine interfaces.

Systematic analysis of goal-related movement sequences during maternal behaviour in a female mouse model for Rett syndrome.

Rodent dams seek and gather scattered pups back to the nest (pup retrieval), an essential aspect of maternal care. Systematic analysis of the dynamic sequences of goal-related movements that comprise the entire behavioural sequence, which would be ultimately essential for understanding the underlying neurobiology, is not well-characterized. Here, we present such analysis across 3days in alloparental female mice (Surrogates or Sur) of two genotypes; Mecp2Heterozygotes (Het), a female mouse model for Rett syndrome and their wild type (WT) siblings. We analysed CBA/CaJ and C57BL/6J WT surrogates for within-strain comparisons. Frame-by-frame analysis over different phases was performed manually using DataVyu software. We previously showed that surrogate Het are inefficient at pup retrieval, by end-point analysis such as latency index and errors. Here, the sequence of searching, pup-approach and successful retrieval streamlines over days for WT, while Het exhibits variations in this pattern. Goal-related movements between Het and WT are similar in other phases, suggesting context-driven atypical patterns in Het during the pup retrieval phase. We identified proximal pup approach and pup grooming as atypical tactile interactions between pups and Het. Day-by-day analysis showed dynamic changes in goal-related movements in individual animals across genotypes and strains. Overall, our approach (1) highlights natural variation in individual mice on different days, (2) establishes a "gold-standard" manually curated dataset to help build behavioural repertoires using machine learning approaches, and (3) suggests atypical tactile sensory processing and possible regression in a female mouse model for Rett syndrome.