In a typical visit, participants remove their shoes and socks and then sit in what looks like a dentist’s chair. My colleagues and I position their feet on a platform, under which lies Hektor, a robot composed of three electric motors. During a tickle session, Hektor slides probes along the soles of the participants’ feet, and they report back on just how much each stroke tickled on a scale of one to 10. Throughout this process, we track people’s facial expressions, heart rate, muscle activity, breathing and skin conductance (which tells us if they are sweating). Electrodes placed on participants’ scalps reveal their brain activity.

Is this kosher under the Geneva Convention? /s