Stress outsourced: a haptic social network via crowdsourcing.

Stress OutSourced (SOS) is a peer-to-peer network that allows anonymous users to send each other therapeutic massages to relieve stress. By applying the emerging concept of crowdsourcing to haptic therapy, SOS brings physical and affective dimensions to our already networked lifestyle while preserving the privacy of its members. This paper first describes the system, its three unique design choices regarding privacy model, combining mobility and scalability, and affective communication for an impersonal crowd, and contrasts them with other efforts in their respective areas. Finally, this paper describes future work and opportunities in the area of haptic social networks.