Hug machine

The device was invented by Temple Grandin to administer deep-touch pressure, a type of physical stimulation often self-administered by autistic individuals as a means of self-soothing.

[4] The inventor of the machine, Temple Grandin, realized as a young child that she would seek out deep pressure stimulation, but she felt over-stimulated when someone hugged or held her.

[5][6] Initially, Grandin's device met with disapproval as psychologists at her college sought to confiscate her prototype hug machine.

[9] Grandin continued to use her own hug box on a regular basis to provide the deep pressure necessary to relieve symptoms of her anxiety.

A paper Grandin wrote on her hug machine and the effects of deep pressure stimulation was published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.

[1] In a February 2010 Time magazine interview, Grandin stated that she no longer uses a hug machine: "It broke two years ago, and I never got around to fixing it.

Cattle squeeze chutes , such as the portable one pictured here, were Grandin's inspiration for her hug machine.
(A) OTO, a compressive armchair to induce deep pressure in children with ASD (final product) and (B) presentation of the different components of the OTO chair