@inproceedings{bfbad26250e34c0caf65590248af81be,
title = "The Virtual Touch Toolkit: An Interactive Media Mobile Application for Promoting Well-Being through Affective and Social Touch",
abstract = "The 'Virtual Touch Toolkit' is the exergame bundle of a newly developed smartphone application for mental health. The primary aim of the exercises is to promote self-discovery by focusing on social, affective touch. The necessity of acknowledging the undervalued properties of affective touch in this day and age is more important than ever as a global pandemic is provoking societal changes that are predicted to be detrimental to our mutual need for affective touch. The toolkit comprises multiple features and sets of exercises, which are designed to stimulate the user's oxytocinergic and reward systems while offering educational insights on affective touch.",
keywords = "affective touch, COVID-19, gamification, health technologies, mobile media, neurology, social distancing, well-being",
author = "Ali Najm and Christos Hadjipanayi and Despina Michael-Grigoriou and Domna Banakou and Francis McGlone and Merle Fairhurst",
note = "Funding Information: This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 739578 and from the Government of the Republic of Cyprus through the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy. Funding Information: This project has received funding from the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 739578 and from the Government of the Republic of Cyprus through the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 IEEE.; 2nd International Conference on Interactive Media, Smart Systems and Emerging Technologies, IMET 2022 ; Conference date: 04-10-2022 Through 07-10-2022",
year = "2022",
doi = "10.1109/IMET54801.2022.9929934",
language = "English (US)",
series = "2022 International Conference on Interactive Media, Smart Systems and Emerging Technologies, IMET 2022 - Proceedings",
publisher = "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.",
booktitle = "2022 International Conference on Interactive Media, Smart Systems and Emerging Technologies, IMET 2022 - Proceedings",
}