ABSTRACT
Imagine your significant other has either taken a trip or lives a great distance away. Of course you want to stay connected, so you may call him or her several times a day. You could also send flowers or small gifts. Even better, you could send a hug . . . if you both have a Hug Shirt (“Best Inventions 2006”). This shirt has sensors that record the strength of your touch as you give yourself a hug. The Hug Shirt also records your skin warmth, heartbeat rate, and the amount of time you hug yourself. Your mobile phone picks up this information via a Bluetooth accessory. You then call to send a hug to your friend, whose mobile phone transmits the information to his or her special shirt, which has actuators that reproduce the sensations of touch, warmth, and emotion.
