Affective Haptic Technologies:
The Speakers

Co-chair of Affective Haptic Technologies Workshop

Centre de recherche en psychologie et neuroscience (CRPN, UMR7077), CNRS – Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France

Rochelle Ackerley is a director of research (professor) at the CNRS, based at Aix-Marseille University in France. Her work on somatosensation spans various body inputs, including discriminative touch, affective touch, haptics, temperature, and proprioception. She uses the technique of microneurography, to explore the activity of peripheral nerves in humans, combining this with neuroimaging and behavioural experiments. She has published over 50 papers and has ERC Consolidator grant, as well as national and industrial funding. 

Robert Kirchner is a research associate at the Chair of Acoustics and Haptics, TU Dresden (Germany). He graduated in mechanical engineering in 2021, also at TU Dresden, where he is currently working on his PhD. During his studies, he worked at the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) in the field of smart materials and systems, where he also wrote his master thesis. He is currently working on the development of low-latency and energy consumption optimized haptic devices, as well as on the generation and application of haptic illusions and perceptual effects.

Centre de recherche en psychologie et neuroscience (CRPN, UMR7077), CNRS – Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France

Maria Rosa Bufo obtained her PhD in 2022 at the CHRU de Tours INSERM U1253, France, where she studied the affective touch and the autonomic nervous system in ASD. Her work focuses on the neurohysiological activity and perceptual outcomes underpinning the affective and sensorial responses to gentle touch.

Willy Beyer holds a Diploma in Electrical Engineering with a focus on sensor technology and biomedical engineering. At the University Hospital Dresden, he conducted research on synchronous signal and image data acquisition in intraoperative optical imaging in neurosurgery. He is currently a member of the research group veiioSense at the Else Kröner Fresenius Center (EKFZ) for Digital Health, investigating tactile internet technologies. His work in the project is focused on the integration of electronics into textiles and the development of embedded hardware and software. He has been actively involved in data collection for machine learning approaches to motion classification, developing together with physiotherapists (of the University Comprehensive Spine Center Dresden) a wearable system that provides real-time feedback using integrated IMU sensors and haptic actuators. Furthermore, he has developed a platform that integrates and designs multiple modalities of feedback, which can be readily adapted to various research needs. His objective is to enhance exercise performance and motivation through haptic feedback, with the ultimate goal of developing an innovative AI-based expert system for home physiotherapy.