Phones have been restricted to those sensory modalities that convey the most information: hearing and sight. Yet to literally feel someone is the prospect to transmit information rather subtly and marginally but to convey emotion very directly – through the feeling of touch or even a kind of presence. Many devices have been conceived of or even built to do this but they all were special apparatuses that – even if they were mobile – were taking up precious space in people's pockets.

Modern mobile phones already come with both motion sensors and vibrotactile actuators – and they are always with us. We therefore propose a direct coupling of the acceleration sensors of one device with the vibration motor of another two people can thereby feel each other's movements and tune into the activities of the other at any time, using nothing more than their mobile phones.

Involved People

• René Tünnermann
• Christian Leichsenring
• Thomas Hermann

Publications