# Affective Stroking: Design Thermal Mid-Air Tactile for Assisting People in Stress Regulation
## 4 Discussion
### Design Implications
#### 4.2.2 Possible Design Directions  
Several participants (P02, P05, P08, P22, P24, P29, P31, P41, P42, and P51) became extremely relaxed during the relaxation phase due to our affective touch-based assistance, leading them to either doze off or enter a state of mental blankness. This led them to believe that our technology could be used as a sleep aid. This effect might be attributed to the inherently gentle nature of air-based haptics or possibly because our haptic simulation evokes the comforting experiences of being soothed by caregivers in childhood (as mentioned by many users). We observed a study on using auditory vibrations to aid sleep before bedtime [79], and future research could explore the potential application of using our technology in this context.  
Users also expressed a desire to integrate haptics with other modalities. Previous research has suggested that the synchronous integration of haptics with other modalities can better convey emotional experiences [48]. In the experiment, many users mentioned that they preferred to use visual or auditory methods to decompress and relax. Research has shown that combining touch with other modalities, such as sound, can more accurately convey the overall characteristics of the tactile experience [80]. The study and design of haptics in conjunction with other modalities are thus expected to become increasingly important.  
Our intermediary stroking simulation has users recall similar relaxation experiences in many other scenarios, leading users to believe that our technology could be effectively combined with existing relaxation and massage devices, or embedded within spa facilities or space for meditation.  
Some participants (P05, P11, P17, P29, P34) felt that our rendered touch technology created a sense of interacting with a real person or a robot. Mediated remote emotion communication [81] and emotional haptic interaction with robots [82] are crucial future development areas that merit dedicated exploration and research. What is more, our haptic technology could be taken as haptic feedback and integrated into other technical research programs, such as robot control [83]. It would help facilitate robot design and assist in understanding users' perceptions about interactions with robots.  
Regarding the design direction of the user interface or form factors, we see four possibilities: (1) a lightweight design to meet the needs of wearable devices, particularly integrating with traditional clothing items such as hats, scarves, and garments; (2) integration with existing massage instruments, which can be either wearable massage devices like neck massagers or embedded in larger massage equipment such as massage chairs; (3) development of embedded devices that integrate into living spaces, combining with sofas and beds, embedding into workplaces with desks and chairs, or integrating into automotive environments with car dashboards or seats; and (4) combining haptic rendering technology with robotics could enhance robots' ability to engage in social interactions with humans.