Silvia's Brief:

The project is being made to try and solve the problem of physical disconnect in long distance relationships. The device is made for people who like to hug their friends but can't for whatever reason. The machine allows two people to send “hugs” to each other. When the sensor in one spot is pressed, the other person feels a ring of the same amount of pressure in the same place on their arm.  The device is made of a pressure sensor, and ESP32, and some fabric on one half and nylon, sponge, and a servo on the other half.

Luke's Brief: The project was inspired by the lack of touch people have right now because of quarantine. The robotics have consistently been based around a sort of mirror idea with two robots each able to recognize the sensation of touch, and produce it. The robots will sense touch from one person and communicate with a partner robot to create the sensation. The goal is to make physical intimacy a contactless interaction so you are still able to enjoy it without putting ourselves or loved ones in danger. The original design idea was to make the robot a sweater, and then it was going to be a glove, and then it became an armband. Right now the robot is going to be made out of string, sponges, safety pins, nylons, servos, glue, a pressure sensor, and an EPS32.