Hanna Ignell

Papers

Total Citations

108

H-Index

About

Hanna Ignell is a researcher whose work bridges the fields of affective touch, human-robot interaction, and sensory neuroscience. Her most-cited study, "CT-optimized skin stroking delivered by hand or robot is comparable" (2013, 108 citations), made a pivotal contribution by demonstrating that gentle, slow stroking—optimal for activating C-tactile (CT) afferents—produces similar subjective pleasantness whether delivered by a human hand or a robotic device. This finding has profound implications for understanding the neural encoding of social touch and for designing robots capable of emotionally resonant physical interaction. By systematically comparing manual and mechanical touch, Ignell helped validate the use of robotic platforms in affective touch research, opening new avenues for studying tactile perception under controlled conditions. Her work is widely cited in psychology, haptics, and robotics, and has informed the development of assistive technologies for populations with touch-processing differences. Ignell’s research continues to shape how we think about the role of touch in emotional communication and the potential for machines to deliver socially meaningful tactile experiences.