没猫的人有福了！这个设备将让你体验“被猫撸”的快乐

2023-05-13 08:05

喜欢撸猫的感觉，却没有猫？让科技来帮你！

受猫的启发，康奈尔大学的研究者最近做出了一个可穿戴设备，能让人切实体验到“被猫撸”的感觉，并能够缓解焦虑情绪，让你觉得舒适和愉悦。

Inspired by cats, a new study conducted by scientists at Cornell University suggests that the automated brushing of hairy skin is an effective form of passive stress reduction.

图源：该研究论文截图

这个设备的关键部位由一个发电机，弹簧和一个小毛刷组成。打开装置后，毛刷就会在人的手臂上划动。设备制作完成后，研究者将其投入了试验，并在试验后对24名参与者进行访谈。

"We first engineered a wearable device that renders affective touch on the user's forearm by creating a soft stroking sensation via a moving brush-like actuator. Then, we stimulated cognitive stress in laboratory and conducted a between-group experiment and post-experiment interviews with 24 participants," according to the research team.

该设备为什么会对缓解焦虑情绪有帮助呢？

其实在之前的研究中，科学家就发现，肢体触摸会影响我们的情绪。比如在朋友感到悲伤时，我们可以通过握手和拥抱的方式，让他们获得安慰和支持。

而最近，在情感神经科学方面的研究中，科学家开始关注“情感触觉”（affective touch）。它是一种缓慢、温和的触觉，比如轻轻抚摸皮肤，或触碰毛茸茸的物体的感觉。

The study utilizes affective touch, which is "the slow-moving, low-force mechanical stimulation on hairy skin."

图源：视觉中国

我们知道，皮肤的触觉能帮我们辨别物体的压力、振动、滑动和质地，这是皮肤上的感受器传入大脑神经的结果。

在生活中，触觉不仅能让我们知道自己触摸的是什么东西，还能带来额外的情绪感受。研究发现，情绪触觉能为我们带来愉悦的感觉、传达积极的情绪、减少社会排斥感，并增加疼痛耐受度。

Past work has shown that affective touch can convey positive emotions, reduce feelings of social exclusion and increase tolerance to pain.

与情绪触觉相关的一个重要指标是心率变异性（Heart Rate Variability），指的是心跳之间的间隔，通常被认为是判断自主神经系统灵活性的指标。心率变异性越高，人调节情绪的能力就越强。

在一项相关实验中，研究者让40名参与者躺在床上，同时用细腻的毛刷子不断刺激他们的左臂。其中一组刷子的刺激方式是抚摸；另一组则是振动。结果表明，和振动相比，不断抚摸的刷子更能让人的心率变异性指数增加。

In another study, 40 participants received either 35 min of brush stroking targeting C-tactile fibres (CT) or vibration on the forearm, and rated pleasantness and intensity.

Heart rate variability increased for brush stroking only, and was related to the higher pleasantness and intensity.

而最新的这项实验结果也表明，被可穿戴的“毛刷”抚摸的参与者压力和焦虑状态都有所降低。除此之外，“情感触觉”还通过增强愉悦心情、提供情感支持和转移注意力的方式，促进了参与者的情绪调节。

The results showed that participants who received affective touch experienced lower state anxiety... It is also found that affective touch facilitated emotion regulation by rendering pleasantness, providing emotional support, and shifting attention.

因此研究者认为，“情感触觉”可能成为缓解焦虑的新途径。

图源：视觉中国

研究人员还观察到，参与者想要接受情感触摸的环境存在很大的个体差异。一些参与者喜欢在有压力的任务中使用情感触摸来让自己感觉更好、更加专注，而另一些人则喜欢用这种方式为预期的压力做好准备。

The researchers also observed large individual differences in what contexts participants want to receive affective touch. Some participants preferred to use affective touch during stressful tasks to feel better and more focused, while others favored affectvie touch as a preparation for anticipated stress.

研究者还在文末提出了一种“情感触觉干预系统”（affective touch intervention system）。如果设备启动干预系统，使用者无需费心，系统可以在需要的情况下自动检测压力水平，决定是否进行情感触觉干预；而如果选择手动操控，使用者可根据自身情况来选择是否使用。

If the device initiates the intervention, the users do not need to allocate cognitive capacity to seek intervention in demanding situations. If the user starts the intervention, they enjoy complete control over the intervention but are on their own in caring for themselves.

事实上，市场上其实早就有模仿小猫小狗的安抚工具了。在2022年的消费电子展上，一家日本公司Yukai Engineering就展示了一种机器人，它看起来只是普通的毛绒玩具，但工程师在其内部设置了“啃咬算法（Hamgorithm）”，使它能够轻轻啃咬你的手指。

专家认为，大多数人喜欢这种被“轻轻啃咬”的感觉，它能带来愉悦的心情，减轻压力，并使你感到治愈。

"I believe many people would like to enjoy the feeling of pet and baby play-bites over and over again... Gestures like play-biting are expected to not only bring comfort but also reduce stress and provide healing," according to Masahiro Shiomi, the Advanced Director of Telecommunications Research Institute International.

图源：视觉中国

除此之外，美国科罗拉多大学的THING Lab团队也致力于对机器人的多感官设计。他们发现，机器触摸的设计被赋予了更多可能，不再局限于模仿人际触摸。

Another research team from the University of Colorado concludes that the "otherness" of robotic touch broadens the design possibilities of emotional communication beyond mimicking interpersonal touch.

通过设计、修改各种类型的情感触觉，比如修改机器手臂的材料，又比如将抚摸转换为摇动或轻拍，研究者发现，机器人的各种肢体接触都能影响心情。

图源：ranzhourobot

一些设计师在通过机器人重建人际接触时，也在尝试复刻动物的触觉。由于缺乏共同的语言，肢体语言和触觉是我们和动物互动的主要途径，因此动物行为成为了设计情感机器人的一个很好的参考。

"Since we do not share the same language, the body language and tactile channel may perform a significant role in animal-human communication, which indicates the study of animal behavior might be a good inspiration for designing expressive robots," the study wrote.

图源：ranzhourobot

设计者周然想象了很多这种机器人的应用场景。比如，安装在剧院座椅上的机器手，能通过电影情节的情绪变化来触摸你；或者如果你吃了太多糖，糖盒的盖子就会愤怒地拍打你。

"The armrest of the theater seat will touch you while you are watching the movie, its emotion will change with the story in the film. It can be implemented to bottle or jar. It may punish you by anger emotion because you are too impatient that want to drink the super hot water or take too many candies," according to Ran Zhou, the designer and researcher of the study.