Hand Touch Research Articles

Roles of the right temporo-parietal and premotor cortices in self-location and body ownership.

In the rubber hand illusion (RHI), the feeling that a fake hand belongs to oneself can be induced by the simultaneous, congruent touch of the fake visible hand and one's own hidden hand. This condition is also associated with a recalibration of the perceived location of the real hand. A cortical network, including premotor and temporo-parietal areas, has been proposed as the basis of the RHI. However, the causal contribution of these areas to the discrete illusory components remains unclear. We used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to assess the contribution of the right premotor cortex (rPMc) and the right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ) to the RHI and explored the role of these areas in modulating the subjective experience of embodiment and the misperception of the hand position. We found that anodal tDCS of both rPMc and rTPJ increased the misjudgement of the real hand location towards the fake hand. Crucially, the difference in proprioceptive displacement evoked by the congruent and incongruent visuo-tactile stroking was minimised when tDCS was applied over the rPMc, while it was amplified when the rTPJ was targeted. The parietal effects of tDCS also extended to the self-report components of the RHI. These findings suggest that the tDCS of rTPJ modulates the RHI depending on the temporal congruency of the visuo-tactile stimulation, while the tDCS of rPMc induces a general recalibration of hand coordinates, regardless of the visuo-tactile congruency. The present results are discussed in the view of a multicomponent model of the RHI.

Multi-Touch Tabletop System Using Infrared Image Recognition for User Position Identification

A tabletop system can facilitate multi-user collaboration in a variety of settings, including small meetings, group work, and education and training exercises. The ability to identify the users touching the table and their positions can promote collaborative work among participants, so methods have been studied that involve attaching sensors to the table, chairs, or to the users themselves. An effective method of recognizing user actions without placing a burden on the user would be some type of visual process, so the development of a method that processes multi-touch gestures by visual means is desired. This paper describes the development of a multi-touch tabletop system using infrared image recognition for user position identification and presents the results of touch-gesture recognition experiments and a system-usability evaluation. Using an inexpensive FTIR touch panel and infrared light, this system picks up the touch areas and the shadow area of the user’s hand by an infrared camera to establish an association between the hand and table touch points and estimate the position of the user touching the table. The multi-touch gestures prepared for this system include an operation to change the direction of an object to face the user and a copy operation in which two users generate duplicates of an object. The system-usability evaluation revealed that prior learning was easy and that system operations could be easily performed.

Reduced Mu Power in Response to Unusual Actions Is Context-Dependent in 1-Year-Olds.

During social interactions infants predict and evaluate other people’s actions. Previous behavioral research found that infants’ imitation of others’ actions depends on these evaluations and is context-dependent: 1-year-olds predominantly imitated an unusual action (turning on a lamp with one’s forehead) when the model’s hands were free compared to when the model’s hands were occupied or restrained. In the present study, we adapted this behavioral paradigm to a neurophysiological study measuring infants’ brain activity while observing usual and unusual actions via electroencephalography. In particular, we measured differences in mu power (6 – 8 Hz) associated with motor activation. In a between-subjects design, 12- to 14-month-old infants watched videos of adult models demonstrating that their hands were either free or restrained. Subsequent test frames showed the models turning on a lamp or a soundbox by using their head or their hand. Results in the hands-free condition revealed that 12- to 14-month-olds displayed a reduction of mu power in frontal regions in response to unusual and thus unexpected actions (head touch) compared to usual and expected actions (hand touch). This may be explained by increased motor activation required for updating prior action predictions in response to unusual actions though alternative explanations in terms of general attention or cognitive control processes may also be considered. In the hands-restrained condition, responses in mu frequency band did not differ between action outcomes. This implies that unusual head-touch actions compared to hand-touch actions do not necessarily evoke a reduction of mu power. Thus, we conclude that reduction of mu frequency power is context-dependent during infants’ action perception. Our results are interpreted in terms of motor system activity measured via changes in mu frequency band as being one important neural mechanism involved in action prediction and evaluation from early on.

Infant brain responses to felt and observed touch of hands and feet: an MEG study.

There is growing interest concerning the ways in which the human body, both one's own and that of others, is represented in the developing human brain. In two experiments with 7-month-old infants, we employed advances in infant magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain imaging to address novel questions concerning body representations in early development. Experiment 1 evaluated the spatiotemporal organization of infants' brain responses to being touched. A punctate touch to infants' hands and feet produced significant activation in the hand and foot areas of contralateral primary somatosensory cortex as well as in other parietal and frontal areas. Experiment 2 explored infant brain responses to visually perceiving another person's hand or foot being touched. Results showed significant activation in early visual regions and also in regions thought to be involved in multisensory body and self-other processing. Furthermore, observed touch of the hand and foot activated the infant's own primary somatosensory cortex, although less consistently than felt touch. These findings shed light on aspects of early social cognition, including action imitation, which may build, at least in part, on infant neural representations that map equivalences between the bodies of self and other.

Contactless Yagi-patch EMG electrodes design and development for prosthetics

PurposeA contactless electromyography (EMG) electrodes design and development for prosthetics, particularly the Touch Hand 3, was the main objective of this paper. The correlation between EMG electrodes and patch antenna are described, with the problem relating to the dimensions of the covidien electrodes. The purpose of this paper is to improve the signal strength of the EMG electrodes and having them to not be in contact with the skin to cause irritation in the person.Design/methodology/approachA combination of the contact covidien electrodes and aluminium foil was used to develop electrodes that were in a similar configuration than a Yagi antenna. Different layers of patch elements were designed, developed and implemented.FindingsDifferent layers of Yagi-patch electrodes are tested with different volunteers and compared with the average signal strengths obtained from the covidien electrodes. An improvement in signal strength with the Yagi-patch electrodes has been found.Practical implicationsThe purpose of the work was to design, develop and test EMG electrodes that are cost-effective, reusable and able to improve the signal strengths that are recorded, for better functionality of prosthetic devices.Originality/valueThe integration of EMG and antennae theory to implement a Yagi-patch EMG electrode to improve on signal reception. The electrodes have the properties of being cheap, easy available, can eliminate direct contact and avoiding patches on the skin. Comparison of different layered electrodes with the contactless electrodes close to the skin. Comparison of the different electrodes on a silicone sleeve, which are commonly worn by amputees, placed between the skin and the prosthetic’s socket. Testing the Yagi-patch electrodes with an application with the prosthetic Touch Hand, to allow for the control of a system such as the Touch Hand.

Effect of hand reflexology on anxiety and physiological variables among patients hospitalized in the cardiac care unit: A randomized placebo controlled clinical trial

Background and objective: Admission to the cardiac care unit may cause physiological and psychological problems in patients. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hand reflexology on anxiety and physiological variables among female patients with acute coronary syndrome hospitalized in the cardiac care unit.Methods: This randomized placebo controlled clinical trial was conducted on 90 female patients hospitalized in the cardiac care unit in an urban area of Iran. The patients were chosen using a convenient sampling method and then were randomly assigned into intervention (n = 45) and placebo (n = 45) groups. While the intervention group received hand reflexology for 20 minutes, the placebo group received a simple touch of hand without the stimulation of reflexology points. Demographic data was collected at the beginning of the study using face-to-face interviews with the patients. The anxiety level was assessed using the Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) immediately after the intervention and 30 min after the intervention. Also, physiological variables including respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation were measured before, immediately after the intervention and 30 minutes after the intervention. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis.Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the intervention and placebo groups before the intervention (p > .05). The anxiety level in the intervention group was significantly lower than that of the placebo group immediately after the intervention and 30 minutes after the intervention (p < .05, η = 0.090). However, no statistically significant differences in physiological variables between the groups were observed (p > .05).Conclusions: Hand reflexology influenced the level of anxiety. Therefore, nurses can use hand reflexology as a method for reducing patients’ anxiety along with other nursing interventions.

A Touch of the Hand

Kimberly Cox, “A Touch of the Hand: Manual Intercourse in Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall” (pp. 161–191) Characters in the works of Anne Brontë, Elizabeth Gaskell, Thomas Hardy, and Bram Stoker communicated their passions, reciprocated desires, and negotiated the power dynamics of their social and romantic relationships through their hands. Despite the recent work on Victorian hand studies, little attention has been paid to such moments when characters’ hands touch. This essay introduces the term “manual intercourse” as a way of referring to all literary depictions of tactile encounters (whether handshakes, caresses, uninvited grasps, or other accidental manual interactions) while acknowledging the silent, embodied communication and exchange inherent in such moments of physical connection. Taking Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848) as an example par excellence, this essay explores how reading a novel through characters’ manual intercourse opens new ways of understanding and interpreting intense moments of emotional intimacy that language fails to represent adequately. Since emotions can be communicated through the quality, pressure, duration, and circumstance of a touch, manual intercourse in such novels allows for the possibility of excess sentiment that cannot be simply expressed through speech. Further, though nineteenth-century etiquette books dedicated entire sections to delineating types of handshakes acceptable in certain social situations, this essay suggests that some Victorian novelists challenged traditional gender ideology and the power structures inherent in it through representations of manual intercourse that either adhere to or deviate from traditional handshake etiquette.

Body ownership determines the attenuation of self-generated tactile sensations.

Self-perception depends on the brain's abilities to differentiate our body from the environment and to distinguish between the sensations generated as a consequence of voluntary movement and those arising from events in the external world. The first process refers to the sense of ownership of our body and relies on the dynamic integration of multisensory (afferent) signals. The second process depends on internal forward models that use (efferent) information from our motor commands to predict and attenuate the sensory consequences of our movements. However, the relationship between body ownership and sensory attenuation driven by the forward models remains unknown. To address this issue, we combined the rubber hand illusion, which allows experimental manipulation of body ownership, and the force-matching paradigm, which allows psychophysical quantification of somatosensory attenuation. We found that a rubber right hand pressing on the left index finger produced somatosensory attenuation but only when the model hand felt like one's own (illusory self-touch); reversely, the attenuation that was expected to occur during actual self-touch with the real hands was reduced when the participants simultaneously experienced ownership of a rubber right hand that was placed at a distance from their left hand. These results demonstrate that the sense of body ownership determines somatosensory attenuation. From a theoretical perspective, our results are important because they suggest that body ownership updates the internal representation of body state that provides the input to the forward model generating sensory predictions during voluntary action.

›Reframing‹ mittelalterlicher Skulpturen: Verschönerung, Umnutzung, Neuinterpretation?

Abstract Medieval wooden sculptures were in most cases reframed several times during their history. Sculptures have thus been repainted or reused in different contexts. The reasons for these reframings have been different, for example change of taste, use, or place, or repair of damage. Sculptures of the Virgin Mary were especially subject to these later changes, because they were the focus of veneration and thus were exposed to touching hands, burning candles, and incense. In addition, the image of the Virgin was often exposed to fashionable new stylings. Medieval reframings can only be traced by very close examination of the object and are difficult to link with a specific historical context. Therefore, this study concentrates on some examples of medieval sculptures in Cologne, which have been the subjects of intense studies by restorers and art historians.

Prosthetic design directives: Low-cost hands within reach.

Although three million people around the world suffer from the lack of one or both upper limbs 80% of this number is located within developing countries. While prosthetic prices soar with technology 3D printing and low cost electronics present a sensible solution for those that cannot afford expensive prosthetics. The electronic and control design of a low-cost prosthetic hand, the Touch Hand II, is discussed. This paper shows that sensorless techniques can be used to reduce design complexities, costs, and provide easier access to the electronics. A closing and opening finite state machine (COFSM) was developed to handle the actuated digit joint control state and a supervisory switching control scheme, used for speed and grip strength control. Three torque and speed settings were created to be preset for specific grasps. The hand was able to replicate ten frequently used grasps and grip some common objects. Future work is necessary to enable a user to control it with myoelectric signals (MESs) and to solve operational problems related to electromagnetic interference (EMI).

P121 The neurophysiological underpinnings of mirror-touch synaesthesia: A TMS-EEG study

Introduction Mirror-touch synaesthesia (MTS) is the condition in which the view of a touch delivered to another person’s body (but not to objects) elicits subjective conscious tactile sensations on own body. At a neurophysiological level, MTS has been associated to an unusual hyper-activation of the tactile mirror system (Blakemore et al., 2005; Ward and Banissy, 2015). Recent studies showed that increasing the excitability of primary somatosensory cortex (S1), by mean of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, induces MTS-like responses even in non-synesthetes in a vision-touch spatial congruity task (Bolognini et al., 2013, 2014). However, it is not clear yet whether synaesthesia-like sensations were induced through direct modulation of S1, or by modulating the functional interplay between SI and other connected brain regions. Objectives This study aims at clarifying this issue by exploring changes in S1 cortical excitability and connectivity by means of TMS-EEG technique. Materials and methods 10 healthy volunteers participated to the study. 4 TMS-EEG recordings were performed; in each 180 TMS single pulses were delivered to right S1 while participants were exposed, in a random order, to three conditions: (i) experiencing a real touch on the left hand (touch), the view of video-clips depicting either (ii) a touch to another person’ hand (mirror-touch) or (iii) a touch to a leaf (control stimulus). Concomitant EEG was recorded by a 60 channels cap. TMS pulses were delivered at two SOAs: 50 ms or 150 ms from stimulus onset. Results In the touch condition, TMS at 50 ms elicited greater TEPs than at 150 ms. Conversely, in the mirror-touch condition, TEPs increased at 150 ms as compared to 50 ms SOA. No difference across SOAs were present instead for TEPs in the control condition. Comparing the three conditions, the greatest mean TEPs on right S1 occurred in the touch condition, followed by the mirror-touch, both eliciting greater TEP than the control condition. Conclusions Preliminary results suggest a rise of S1 cortical excitability at 50 ms SOA in the touch condition, i.e. when the tactile stimulus processing is taking place, and, crucially, at 150 ms SOA in the mirror-touch condition. Download : Download high-res image (185KB) Download : Download full-size image Download : Download high-res image (128KB) Download : Download full-size image

A Crowdsensing-Based Real-Time System for Finger Interactions in Intelligent Transport System

Crowdsensing leverages human intelligence/experience from the general public and social interactions to create participatory sensor networks, where context-aware and semantically complex information is gathered, processed, and shared to collaboratively solve specific problems. This paper proposes a real-time projector-camera finger system based on the crowdsensing, in which user can interact with a computer by bare hand touching on arbitrary surfaces. The interaction process of the system can be completely carried out automatically, and it can be used as an intelligent device in intelligent transport system where the driver can watch and interact with the display information while driving, without causing visual distractions. A single camera is used in the system to recover 3D information of fingertip for hand touch detection. A linear-scanning method is used in the system to determine the touch for increasing the users’ collaboration and operationality. Experiments are performed to show the feasibility of the proposed system. The system is robust to different lighting conditions. The average percentage of correct hand touch detection of the system is 92.0% and the average time of processing one video frame is 30 milliseconds.

Haptic Perception of Unknown Object by Robot Hand: Exploration Strategy and Recognition Approach

In this paper, the exploration and recognition in unknown object perception by robot hand is discussed. Inspired by the touch and exploration of human hand, a haptic exploration strategy for multi-fingered robot hand is proposed. Based on the observations from human experiments, the proposed strategy can be used to guide the robot hand to plan a series of movements to get tactile information from different unknown objects, with the precondition of avoiding unexpected collisions with the objects. A recognition approach is then presented to recognize object shapes based on the tactile point data collected by the strategy. Geometric feature vectors are extracted from tactile point locations and normal vectors after clustering, and the object shapes are recognized by the random forests classifier. Simulations and experiments results show that the exploration strategy can be used to guide the robot to gather tactile information from unknown object automatically, and the recognition approach is effective and robust in object shape recognition work. This framework provides a sensible solution for robot unknown object perception problem, which is suitable for the multi-fingered robot hand with low-resolution tactile sensors.

Semicolonized Mind

Semicolonized Mind

From Husserl to Merleau-Ponty: On the Metamorphosis of a Philosophical Example

This essay outlines the transformation of the ostensibly mundane example of two hands touching each other in Husserl’s Ideas II into the pivotal concept in Merleau-Ponty’s ontology of flesh and notion of embodied subjectivity. By focusing on the contexts in which the example appears in the works of Husserl and of Merleau-Ponty, it seeks to explicate Merleau-Ponty’s fascination with Husserl’s example, its role in the development of his own thought and in the conceptual shift in his late works on the body. I explore the various stages in the metamorphosis of Husserl’s example of touching hands, originally used merely to differentiate the sense of touch from that of sight, into Merleau-Ponty’s radical concept of flesh that overturns “our idea of the thing and the world, and... results in an ontological rehabilitation of the sensible.”

Sensory system integration of the designed mechatronics Touch Hand

Purpose This paper aims to explore the electronic design of the Touch Hand: a low-cost electrically powered prosthetic hand. The hand is equipped with an array of sensors allowing for position control and haptic sensation. Pressure sensors are used on the fingertips to detect grip force. A temperature sensor placed in the fingertip is used to measure the contact temperature of objects. Investigations are made into the use of cantilever vibration sensors to detect surface texture and object slippage. The hand is capable of performing a lateral grip of 3.7 N, a power grip of 19.5 N and to passively hold a weight of up to 8 kg with a hook grip. The hand is also tested on an amputee and used to perform basic tasks. The amputee took 30 min to learn how to operate the hands basic gripping functions. Design/methodology/approach Problems of previous prosthetic hands were investigated, followed by ways to improve or have similar capabilities, yet keeping in mind to reduce the price. The hand was then designed, simulated, developed and then tested. The hand was then displayed to public and tested with an amputee. Findings The Touch Hand’s capabilities with the usage of the low-cost materials, components and sensory system was obtained in the tests that were conducted. The results are shown in this paper to identify the appropriateness of the sensors for a usage while the costs are reduced. Furthermore, models were developed from the results obtained to take into account factors such as the non-slip material. Research limitations/implications The research was restricted to a US$1,000 budget to allow the availability of a low-cost prosthetic hand. Practical implications The Touch Hand had to have the ability to supply the amputee with haptic feedback while allowing the basic grasping of objects. The commercial value is the availability of an affordable prosthetic hand that can be used by amputees in Africa and other Lower-Income countries, yet allowing a more advanced control system compared to the pure mechanical systems currently available. Social implications The Touch Hand has the ability to give amputees affected in war situations the ability to grasp objects in a more affordable manner compared to the current available options. Feedback from amputees about the current features of the Touch Hand was very positive and it proves to be a way to improve society in Lower-Income countries in the near future. A sponsorship program is being developed to assist amputees with the costs of the Touch Hand. Originality/value The contributions of this research is a low-cost prototype system than can be commercialized to allow amputees in the Lower-Income countries to have the ability of a prosthetic hand. A sensory system in the hand is also explained which other low-cost prosthetic hands do not have, which includes temperature, force and vibration. Models of the sensors used that are developed and calibrated to the design of the hand are also described.

Candida glabrata among Candida spp. from environmental health practitioners of a Brazilian Hospital.

The incidence of the species Candida albicans and non-albicans Candida was evaluated in a Brazilian Tertiary Hospital from the environment and health practitioners. In a 12-month period we had a total positivity of 19.65% of Candida spp. The most recurring non-albicans Candida species was C. glabrata (37.62%), generally considered a species of low virulence, but with a higher mortality rate than C. albicans. Subsequently, C. parapsilosis (25.74%) and C. tropicalis (16.86%) were the second and third most commonly isolated species. Considering the total samples collected from the emergency room and from the inpatient and the pediatric sector, 19.10% were positive for Candida spp., with the predominance of non-albicans Candida species (89.42%). The high percentage of positivity occurred in the hands (24.32%) and the lab coats (21.88%) of the health care assistants. No sample of C. albicans presented a profile of resistance to the drugs. All the non-albicans Candida species presented a decreased susceptibility to miconazole and itraconazole, but they were susceptible to nystatin. Most of the isolates were susceptible to fluconazole and amphotericin B. As expected, a high resistance rate was observed in C. glabrata and C. krusei, which are intrinsically less susceptible to this antifungal agent. The contamination of environmental surfaces by Candida spp. through hand touching may facilitate the occurrence of Candida infections predominantly in immunocompromised patients. In addition to that, the antifungal agents used should be carefully evaluated considering local epidemiologic trends in Candida spp. infections, so that therapeutic choices may be better guided.

Burning My Birth Certificate, and: Afraid to Pray

Burning My Birth Certificate, and: Afraid to Pray Pamela Sutton (bio) Burning My Birth Certificate Her bones are buried deep in the gardennear her favorite window where she watchedthe birds and the black-red winter roses. I am burningmy birth certificate. I am pouring the ashesover her grave. Last April I carried her body homethrough green-black rain—wet knucklespunching my face and shoulders,but she had to be buried, and it was only me. The earth was still thawing, the storm was a boxerwho outweighed me, overmuscled me and myshovel and boots. I still can’t stand to wearthe boots—clay stuck to their soles. They are good boots, the best, and the shovelwell made. They were bought to plant tulipsnot dig a grave, and never to dig one for her. Placing her body in that eye socket of earthwas like handing over my heart—onlybone now, and a bit of hair. I stareout of Pearl’s favorite window and see all the lost animals all over this war-pockedskull of a planet. I see all [End Page 99] the children’s dead pets; the bombsplanted over and overin houses like mine. I seemy child’s dead pet. I seelost horses trotting and dying and rotting;dogs forming packs; and the children who loved them. Afraid to Pray Dear God I’m afraid if I pray for my daughter’s safety you’ll blithelyallow her to get raped or abducted or crash on a highwayon a perfect summer day. Forget I mentioned my daughter. What daughter? I remember how Anne Frank believed in the goodness of mankind.I wonder how she felt the moment her diary was knocked from her handsbecause that’s how I’m feeling these days: like Job with post-traumatic stress disorder. Don’t worry, God, I know you exist; but, I’m having someserious trust issues. Maybe it began with that nightmare about mymother shoving my grandmother into a swift-running river. I jumped in to save her, and I saved her all right, but O the branchesand Kentucky mud stuck in our hair and mouths—the disbeliefin her eyes—and me having to tell her the truth. Dear God if you made us in your likeness because you werelonely then uh-oh. I’m so tired of Nazis marching to the rhythm of my prayers.I prayed that the love of my life would survive his cancer then he died on my birthday. And for thirty years I prayed my ex-husband would survive his insanity, but hefinally blew his brains out. I know there’s a heaven becauseI walked along a tightrope of Atlantic foam after Joel died and [End Page 100] a rainbow lassoed the sun. The sky was timorous and thinas an ear drum and I knew if I pushed with all of my ragethat the sky would burst and we would touch hands one last time. I’m so tired of praying and getting punched in the gut. I prayed thatmy parents would not sell my sister’s black Morgan horse with the staron its forehead, but they sold it all right and now she’s afraid to love her own children. I prayed that my parents would not sell the hand-built log cabin on the Indianreservation, but when they knew they could die without selling it, they sold itall right and the new owners bulldozed it down along with everything in it including a Bible my mother had placed just so. And they chopped down the forestand threw my canoe in a dumpster. Now all I do is scour real estate ads for log cabinson the Indian reservation. I’ve found a few places but they’re just not the same. Still, I’d like to move back to the northwoods and live in a cabin and pray to the lakeand the woods and the wolves. Like God the wolves would not answer my prayers,but unlike God, by...

Effects of mediated social touch on affective experiences and trust.

This study investigated whether communication via mediated hand pressure during a remotely shared experience (watching an amusing video) can (1) enhance recovery from sadness, (2) enhance the affective quality of the experience, and (3) increase trust towards the communication partner. Thereto participants first watched a sad movie clip to elicit sadness, followed by a funny one to stimulate recovery from sadness. While watching the funny clip they signaled a hypothetical fellow participant every time they felt amused. In the experimental condition the participants responded by pressing a hand-held two-way mediated touch device (a Frebble), which also provided haptic feedback via simulated hand squeezes. In the control condition they responded by pressing a button and they received abstract visual feedback. Objective (heart rate, galvanic skin conductance, number and duration of joystick or Frebble presses) and subjective (questionnaires) data were collected to assess the emotional reactions of the participants. The subjective measurements confirmed that the sad movie successfully induced sadness while the funny movie indeed evoked more positive feelings. Although their ranking agreed with the subjective measurements, the physiological measurements confirmed this conclusion only for the funny movie. The results show that recovery from movie induced sadness, the affective experience of the amusing movie, and trust towards the communication partner did not differ between both experimental conditions. Hence, feedback via mediated hand touching did not enhance either of these factors compared to visual feedback. Further analysis of the data showed that participants scoring low on Extraversion (i.e., persons that are more introvert) or low on Touch Receptivity (i.e., persons who do not like to be touched by others) felt better understood by their communication partner when receiving mediated touch feedback instead of visual feedback, while the opposite was found for participants scoring high on these factors. The implications of these results for further research are discussed, and some suggestions for follow-up experiments are presented.

Activities between activities of focus—Relevant when assessing DNA transfer probabilities

Consideration of the indirect transfer of ‘touch DNA’ is increasingly becoming part of criminal investigations. Focus is often concentrated on the actions relating to the pick-up of the relevant DNA and key actions associated with transfer to the exhibit from which the sample in question was collected. There is often a time lapse between such actions. As any contact can influence the gain and/or loss of DNA, it is relevant to have an awareness of what hands touch during everyday activities in order to assist consideration of what may be occurring during potential time lapses within contemplated scenarios. To gain an appreciation of the manner and frequency of hands contacting various surfaces during everyday activities, we analysed several videos of individuals performing a variety of general activities. The findings indicate that several items are touched over a relatively short period of time. Appreciation and consideration of general activities that may have occurred between key focus activities are necessary to assess any impact these may have on what is deposited at the final collection site. The information this provides is imperative when weighting alternative transfer scenario propositions.