Social touch is a rich channel of human communication, conveying emotion, intent, and meaning embedded in context. Yet most HCI studies treat touch in isolation, overlooking the layered subtleties that shape interpretation. We present a contextual analysis of 5,016 social touch events, grounded in a large collection of annotated scenes from films, dramas, and documentaries. Using a computer vision pipeline, we segmented touch events from video and annotated them across dimensions, including who is involved, how the gesture is performed, where on the body it occurs, and the cultural backdrop. Our analysis shows that identical gestures can convey distinct meanings depending on body location, relationship type, and context. Similar intentions—like comfort, encouragement, or dominance—may be expressed through different gestures or locations, shaped by relational dynamics, cultural norms, and public or private settings. These insights inform the design of socially aware touch technologies, including avatars, social agents, and mediated communication systems.

Spatial audio and directional tactile cues are crucial for target localization and collision avoidance, especially when visual information is limited or cognitive load is high. As multisensory cues, spatially aligned auditory and tactile stimuli can perform better than misaligned ones, but achieving precise alignment is challenging. This study aims to (1) identify just noticeable differences (JNDs) of direction between auditory and tactile stimuli in the horizontal plane and (2) evaluate hazard avoidance performance with misaligned cues within the JNDs. The estimated JNDs increase from 26° to 84° as the stimuli shifted from the center to the side of the body. We also demonstrate that perceptual alignment of auditory and tactile cues within the JND ranges yielded comparable hazard avoidance performance and usability to exact physical alignment. Our study offers useful insights for more efficient and accurate spatial audio-tactile rendering systems for extended reality (XR).

This paper explores the impact of vibrotactile haptic feedback on heart activity when the feedback is provided at four different body locations (chest, wrist, neck, and ankle) and with two feedback rates (50 bpm and 110 bpm). A user study found that the neck placement resulted in higher heart rates and lower heart rate variability, and higher frequencies correlated with increased heart rates and decreased heart rate variability. The chest was preferred in self-reported metrics, and neck placement was perceived as less satisfying, harmonious, and immersive. This research contributes to understanding the interplay between psychological experiences and physiological responses when using haptic biofeedback resembling real body signals.