Role of Tactile Content
This article defines an enhanced tactile movie as one that features tactile content synchronized with traditional audiovisual media, the purpose of which is to enhance an audience's enjoyment by conveying the artistic and semantic intentions of the director. Imagine a horror movie in which you could feel a ghost brush against your hand. We suspect that, much like using music or sound effects in film to enhance certain scenes, tactile content will be similarly used mainly as a supplemental effect rather than continuously used through an entire movie. Due to the added immersion it facilitates, haptic feedback is already an important element of many virtual environments and some telecommunication systems.2 In the context of a movie, haptics not only can increase immersion in the story, but also can encourage empathy with the portrayed characters, allowing viewers to step into the shoes of the actors and engage with a plot on an emotional level. In addition, tactile cues can convey unique information, such as temperature and contact. In much the same way that audio is skillfully employed to portray minor and major mood, atmospheric uses of tactile content have the potential to shape the audience's experience and can be used as a mode of interpretation and artistic expression.