TOUCHBOX is a haptic communication device exploring how tangible interaction can foster emotional connectedness despite physical distance. The textile object employs light, warmth, and movement to convey a sense of closeness between two people – for example, within families with older adults or during hospital stays.

The project was developed as a toolkit for co-design workshops and user studies, enabling the exploration of haptic interaction together with senior citizens in Berlin. It invites discussion about contemporary forms of participation, the role of materiality in digital communication, and the societal challenge of loneliness.

Hannah Friederike Fischer is a product designer and design researcher at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). She explores participatory design and qualitative research methods within human-computer interaction, focusing on smart textiles and wearable technologies for health and care. Her practice combines research with prototyping to investigate interconnected social and technological systems and develop responsible, sustainable design solutions. She studied at art and design universities in Berlin, Braunschweig, Dundee, and Potsdam, and lives and works in Berlin.

Website
@hannahthefischerer

Emil Woop is an interaction designer and design researcher working for the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI). His research focuses on the development of novel interaction paradigms and haptical experiences through participatory design practices, soma design methods and physical prototyping. He studied architecture at the University of Arts Berlin, interfacedesign at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, and lives and works in Berlin.

Project Partner
Human-Factors-Consult GmbH
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg - Lehrstuhl für Fertigungsautomatisierung und Produktionssystematik
Computer und Software GmbH
Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz GmbH
 

Funded by
Entwickelt im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts ToCaro am Deutschen Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz (DFKI), gefördert durch das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt (BMBFTR)