01 / Create
Make it yours.
Record a hug with your HugShirt, or create one in the app for someone who has a shirt.
CuteCircuit / Wearable touch
HUGSHIRT.
The world’s first wearable
haptic telecommunication.
Reach out / Connect / Touch / Feel
A hug.
Across the world.
Share the feeling of being close, even when you are far apart.
Explore the HugShirt
Wearable touch
Something
you can feel.
HugShirt® lets you send hugs over distance. Actuators integrated into the fabric recreate the sensation of touch, bringing a loved one’s hug to you through your shirt.
Record a hug, send it through the app, or share one together in real time. From London to Tokyo, a familiar gesture becomes a new way to connect.
12Haptic micro-actuators
WirelessConnected through your phone
2002The year HugShirt was invented
From you to them
A gesture.
A connection.
Your HugShirt connects wirelessly to your smartphone. The app carries the hug to another phone, which transmits it to your friend’s HugShirt.
02 / Send
Reach across the distance.
The app sends your hug over the network to your friend’s phone.
03 / Feel
A moment of closeness.
Their HugShirt recreates the sensation through its haptic actuators. With both apps open, you can hug in real time.
Designed around us
Human connection.
Woven in.
Design / Feel / Movement
The shape
of a hug.
The touch areas began with people hugging. We mapped where their hands rested and used those patterns to position the sensors and actuators.
Soft, stretchable fabric and a multicolour digital print bring the technology into an everyday garment. Heat-bonded construction creates flat hems, while smart textiles carry the connections.
01 / HugShirt collaborations
Cox /
The Hug Project
“The Hug Project” gives loved ones the opportunity to embrace with a virtual hug no matter the distance. Partnering with technology innovator CuteCircuit, Cox reunited families separated during the pandemic using a special edition HugShirt programmed to deliver physical hugs in real time.
Haptic sensors in the shirt connect two people. Isolated individuals are able to feel the touch of a husband or a grandchild just as if they are there with them. Shirts were designed after analysing dozens of hugs and mapping hand positions with sensors and haptic actuators designed to give and receive the sensation of touch. Each hug is unique, allowing them to share hugs via innovative technology and connect in a whole new way.
02 photos & films / Scroll to explore
An original invention
Touch has
a history.
From the first experiments in 2002 to TIME’s Best Inventions in 2006, HugShirt opened a new possibility for communication. Its design has continued to evolve while keeping the same idea at its heart: bringing people closer.
2002
HugShirt is invented.
2004
First Prize at Cyberart, Bilbao.
2006
TIME Best Inventions of the Year.
03 photographs / Scroll to explore
Made for everyday life
Soft fabric.
Smart inside.
Designed in London, HugShirt brings wireless touch communication into soft textiles, with rechargeable electronics and a washable garment.
- Touch
- 12 haptic micro-actuators, controlled through the app.
- Power
- USB-C rechargeable.
- Materials
- Oeko-Tex certified textiles and heat-bonded flat hems.
- Construction
- Smart fabrics, with no conventional wires inside the garment.
- Care and circularity
- Washable and repairable. Garments can be returned to CuteCircuit for recycling.
- Design
- Unisex, designed in London with zero-waste design and manufacturing.
HugShirt in motion
See the feeling.
Your questions
A little more
about touch.
Can I send a hug without wearing a HugShirt?
Yes. You can create a hug in the app and send it to someone who has a HugShirt. They receive it as a sensation of touch through their garment.
Can we hug each other in real time?
Yes. With both apps open, you can share hugs in real time. You can also record a hug and send it to someone far away.
How were the touch areas designed?
We asked people to hug each other and mapped where their hands rested on the other person’s body. These observations shaped the positions of the sensors and actuators. The printed pattern highlights those touch areas.
Is the HugShirt washable and rechargeable?
Yes. It is washable and recharges through USB-C. Follow the care instructions supplied with the garment.
How is it different from SoundShirt?
HugShirt is designed for touch communication and has 12 haptic actuators. SoundShirt provides a more detailed haptic experience for music, performance and gaming, with 28 actuators in the current model.