We translate touch into data, sound, and images.
TouchSenseLab™ is a small experimental AI studio exploring how texture, contact, and bodily memory can be mapped, modeled, and used by creators and research partners worldwide.
Not a “big tech” lab, but a precision workshop.
We work where skin meets fabric, glass meets fingertip, wood meets palm —
and ask what those moments sound like, look like, and feel like in code.
Based in Japan and collaborating internationally, TouchSenseLab sits at the intersection of art, design, and affective computing. We build small, concrete tools for studios, schools, and institutions who want to handle touch and texture as more than just an afterthought.
A small lab for serious tactile questions.
TouchSenseLab is part of a broader creative research group. Our focus: using AI not to replace human feeling, but to give structure, language, and signal to how surfaces, pressure, and motion shape our inner state.
We work across three layers:
- Perception – how people describe textures, friction, warmth, weight.
- Representation – how those qualities can be encoded as vectors, prompts, or sonic profiles.
- Expression – how artists, designers, and storytellers can use that material in practice.
Our output is intentionally small and concrete: datasets, sound packs, micro-tools, and concept pieces that can be plugged into larger pipelines.
We are comfortable in hybrid environments: grant-funded research, studio collaborations, and independent experiments all live in the same ecosystem.
“Before you touch something, you already know how it will feel.”
That gap between anticipation and contact is our main territory.
How do we describe the difference between wet glass and warm ceramic? Between a worn denim sleeve and a synthetic sports fabric in low light?
TouchSenseLab builds tools so creators and researchers can talk about those differences, model them, and use them — without flattening everything into simple “soft/hard” labels.
Who we work with.
We collaborate where touch, perception, and media intersect. Our partners tend to fall into three overlapping groups:
Studios & Creators
For teams building immersive experiences, we provide texture-driven sound libraries, visual concept frames, and prompt structures that help scenes feel physically grounded — even when everything is virtual.
Schools & Labs
We design exercises and micro-tools for students to explore touch through film, sound, and interaction design: how to shoot cloth, record skin, or write around the sensation of holding a cup in the dark.
Institutions
For universities and cultural or research bodies, we act as a small, agile partner on affective computing, sensory archives, and media-art interfaces, with experience across grant-driven and independent projects.
- small-scale pilot research on tactile descriptors and AI models,
- texture-focused sound and image packs for creative pipelines,
- concept pieces or installations about touch, memory, and media,
- educational modules that bring tactile awareness into media curricula.
What TouchSenseLab produces.
Our output combines research thinking with ready-to-use assets for creative workflows.
- 30+ micro-scenarios describing touch situations (fabric, skin, glass, wood).
- Curated descriptor lists for tactile prompts and labeling.
- Texture-linked sound mini-library (cloth, friction, sliding, pressure).
- Reference stills for light, shadow, and fold behavior.
- Short guidelines on how to integrate this material into film, XR, or sound design workflows.
Pack will be available as a digital download (PDF + audio + image assets) with licensing designed for small studios and schools.
Beyond fixed packs, most of our work is custom and collaborative. We typically enter projects in one of three roles:
- Concept & sensory advisor – shaping how touch and texture are treated in a project.
- Micro-tool maker – building small datasets, prompt banks, or sound sets.
- Hybrid research partner – developing frameworks and documentation that support grant or institutional goals.
If your project needs a full production company, we are not the right fit. If you need one focused lab obsessed with what surfaces actually feel like, we probably are.
Touch-Inspired Sound Libraries
Loops and one-shots built not only around objects (“cloth”, “wood”) but around gestures: smoothing, grabbing, brushing, folding, pressing. Ideal for sound designers, film, and XR.
Workshops & Teaching Kits
Compact modules for film, sound, and interaction programs: exercises on shooting texture, writing around touch, or mapping tactile language into prompts and tags.
Texture-Led Concept Pieces
Jointly developed artworks, installations, or short films where touch is the primary axis — suitable for festivals, galleries, and cultural programs.
Talk to the lab.
TouchSenseLab is intentionally small, and we choose a limited number of collaborations each year. If your work or institution is exploring:
- tactile or affective aspects of film, XR, or interactive media,
- sensory archives, material culture, or embodied memory,
- research on touch, perception, or human–AI interfaces,
we are open to hearing from you. Please include a short line about who you are, where you are based, and what kind of collaboration you have in mind.
We are based in Japan (JST) and work comfortably across time zones. English is fine; if needed, we can also loop in additional partners for larger-scale or multi-lab projects.