Why We Crave Touch in Our Interactions with Tech
In recent years, there has been an undercurrent of consumers rejecting technology – whether it is preferring a paper book or a printed Polaroid over a digital photo – to get back to the realities of life. While some of this trend can be attributed to nostalgia, the real implication is that humans are revolting from tech because they crave touch experiences. We have a need to feel objects vs interacting on a glass screen. This panel of international experts will examine how we can break out from behind the glass screen and offer a more satisfying technology experiences. The panel will discuss the human need for touch, and the present and future technologies that aim to meet this need.
Presenters

Ali Israr
Sr Research Engineer
The Walt Disney Company
Ali Israr is a haptics researcher and engineer. Trained as a mechanical engineer, Ali has created multitude of sensory user experiences and stimulated users in VR/AR, gaming, entertainment, educati...
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Chad Sampanes
Dir/UX Research
Immersion
Chad Sampanes has his PhD in experimental psychology. He has been conducting user experience research for over 15 years, working at NASA, Oracle, Cisco, and Immersion. His research has covered a wi...
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Marianna Obrist
Reader (Multisensory Experiences)
University Of Sussex
Marianna Obrist is a Reader (Multisensory Experiences) at the School of Engineering and Informatics, at the University of Sussex. She leads the Sussex Computer Human Interaction Lab, a research gro...
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Susan Hassler
Editor-in-Chief
IEEE Spectrum
Susan Hassler began her publishing career at consumer magazines before focusing on science and technology. Specializing in startups and repositioning efforts, she was an editor at The Sciences maga...
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