SALON digital touch – Discussion on Tactile Human-Machine Interaction

On June 4, 2026, Prof. Dr. Kaesling was a guest at the SALON digital touch event held at the Motorenhalle Dresden, an event organized by Riesa Efau. Moderated by Denise Ackermann (Dresden), Prof. Dr. Kaesling discussed the social and ethical dimensions of digital touch with media artist Johannes Kiel and the other participants.

The focus was on the question of what happens to touch when it becomes digital—when closeness is mediated through sensors and bodies are translated into data. The discussion shed light not only on the technical potential of tactile interaction but also on fundamental questions of responsibility, trust, and autonomy. As representatives of the CetI – Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-loop at TU Dresden, Prof. Dr. Kaesling and Patricia Schlosser (CeTI) shared insights from current research on tactile human-machine interfaces.