Singapore scientists looking for ways to transmit the sense of touch over the Internet have devised a vibration jacket for chickens and are thinking about electronic children's pyjamas for cyberspace hugs.

The next step would be to use the same concept to transmit hugs over the Internet, it said.

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1893504,00.asp
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/corpcomms2/news/ST-28.11.05-4%20A%20HUG%20FOR%20A%20LONELY%20PET%20ACROSS%20THE%20NET.pdf

I can think of a few more uses for that

There are a couple of other senses that are (partially) available. You can (or at least you could) buy a box that will give off smell, if the web-page you are visiting are using the proper codes. It had a rather limited range, but this was around '98/'99, so it might have come a bit further since then.

Something similar to the electronic hug has also been showcased before, though then with the porn industry presenting it for a different use... It too was a suit that you put on. There were also a couple of boxes you could hook up to the computer to "share your love" over the internet. No idea how either of these have come along since I read about it in PcFormat in the late '90ies...

But a cool find none the less!

Have installed them in a few European and Asian Websites -
more info for those willing to test them...
BTW:
they were tested in Movies and Televisions years ago


http://www.savproducts.com/home.htm
http://www.trisenx.com/scent_dome.html
http://www.k-opti.com/
http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/kaori-web-internet-smellovision-018646.php