ABSTRACT
This ¿ nal chapter will summarize some of the latest developments in the ¿ eld, but will also try to discuss what else needs to be accomplished. Research in the ¿ eld of touch has exploded over the past decades, since the early edited volumes by Schiff and Foulke (1982); Heller and Schiff (1991); and Hatwell, Streri, and Gentaz (2003). It bears repeating that this change in the quantity of work in the area has been transformative and not merely a matter of a few additional publications each year. Early interest in the ¿ eld of touch tended to be driven by questions from sensory physiology, the developmental area, practical problems in blindness rehabilitation, clinical neuropsychology, and education. However, while these early factors still remain and continue to foster research on touch, there have been some important new developments, with a blossoming of work in the area. These include the new emphasis on multisensory research, and more recent advances in assistive technology, especially the newest work on virtual touch and tactile interfaces.
