In January 2002, Francesca Rosella and Ryan Genz, then researchers at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea in Italy, designed the HugShirt.[7] The Hugshirt is a wearable haptic telecommunication device that allows a wearer to send the feeling of a hug to a distant loved one. HugShirts feature touch sensors and haptic actuators that work together to capture and recreate touch over distance.