As shown in FIG. 18A, the haptic communication system 1800 includes a sensor signal generator 1804 that receives a message from a sending user and generates sensor signals 1806 corresponding to the message. In one embodiment, the sensor signal generator 1804 may be a microphone that receives speech sounds 1802 uttered by the sending user and generates speech signals corresponding to the speech sounds. In another embodiment, the sensor signal generator 1804 may be a speech synthesizer that receives a textual message typed out by the sending user and generates speech signals corresponding to the textual message. In another embodiment, the sensor signal generator 1804 may be a haptic sensor that receives haptic input (e.g., a social touch) from the sending user and generates sensor signals 1806 corresponding to the haptic input. The sensor signals 1806 may be analog signals, digital signals, or a combination thereof. In addition, the sensor signal generator 1804 may include an analog-to-digital converter to digitize the message to the sensor signals 1806. The sensor signal generator 1804 is communicatively coupled to and transmits the sensor signals 1806 to the broadband signal generator 1816 over a wired or a wireless connection. Portions of the sensor signal generator 1804 may be implemented in software or hardware. For example, the sensor signal generator 1804 may be part of a smartphone, an internet of things (IoT) appliance, or any machine capable of executing instructions that specify actions to be taken by that machine.
