BEAR WITH METangible Interactive Computing CMSC 838F

Final Project

Zahra Ashktorab (Masters Student Human Computer Interaction)

Allan Fong (PhD Student Computer Science)

December 15, 2012

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Social Networks (Facebook, Twitter..) Telephone Video Call Text messing Email Instant Messaging Online Forums Online Blogs

HOW DO PEOPLE USE TECHNOLOGY TO COMMUNICATE?

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FACE-TO-FACE AND PHYSICAL INTERACTION

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Face-to-face interaction and gestural talk are essential to constructing and maintaining the values and norms of the collective society

“Replacing Human Relationships with a Virtual Life”, The Yale Herald

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Long-distance relationships require technology use

Not enough time to meet Busy schedules

WHY DON’T WE ALWAYS INTERACT THIS WAY?

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Enhance interpersonal communication with a tangible medium of exchanging emotions

Create something portable tangible form of communication and real-time sharing of activities

Extend a the teddy bear methaphor Stuffed animals are often given

as a symbol of an emotional or personal connection

MOTIVATION AND GOALS

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RELATED WORKS LumiTouch: An Emotional Communication

Device Chang et. al, CHI ’01,

http://people.cs.vt.edu/~wangr06/touch%20review%20origanization/ChaRKWetal01.pdf

HugBot MIT 2006,

http://web.media.mit.edu/~jeevan/furryhugger/

Like-A-Hug MIT 2011, http://www.melissakitchow.com/Like-A-Hug

YourGloves, HotHands and HotMitts: Devices to Hold Hands at a Distance

Gooch and Watts, UIST ’12, http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2380138

sleepyWhispers: Sharing Goodnights Within Distant Relationships

Gooch and Watts, UIST ’12, http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2380322

Pressages: Augmenting Phone Calls With Non-Verbal Messages

Hoggan et al. UIST ’12, http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2380185

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OUR MEDIUM

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BEARS AND TWITTER

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Tweetconfirmation

PatconfirmationTHE BEAR SYSTEM

HUG AND PAT INTERACTIONS

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Bears connect to Wifi after they get turned on

Person A hugs Blue Bear Blue Bear tweets hug

and tweet confirmation light blinks

Gold Bear reads Blue Bear’s hug tweet and heart glows

Person B can Hug or Pat a response

Person B hugs Gold Bear

Gold Bear heart turns off tweets hug and tweet confirmation light blinks

Blue Bear reads Gold Bear’s hug tweet and heart glows

Gold Bear heart turns off and tweets pat and tweet confirmation light blinks

Person B pats Gold BearBlue Bear reads Gold Bear’s

pat tweet and pat light glows

*All interactions can be reciprocated between bears.

HUG

PAT

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Person A moves Blue Bear

Blue Bear tweets motion and tweet confirmation light blinks

Gold Bear reads Blue Bear’s motion tweet and feet glows

Blue Bear is still Blue Bear tweets rest and tweet confirmation light blinks

Gold Bear reads Blue Bear’s rest tweet and feet stop glowing

*All interactions can be reciprocated between bears.

MOVEMENT INTERACTIONS

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BEAR VISUALIZATION

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CHALLENGES

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SOFTWARE CHALLENGES

Maintaining Wifi connection Limited memory space

Removed Queue library (used to store movement times)

Time lapse between the time the hug is sent and the time that the hug received

Twitter API rate limit Setting appropriate thresholds for all

interactions (movement and hugs) Strings of text not all being sent or being

jumbled ex: “you you you have been h” instead of “you

have been hugged

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HARDWARE CHALLENGES Hug sensor

Omni-directional and overheating

Walk/running detection Queue library

Packaging Conductive thread vs wires

Issues with shorts, overheating, and flexibility

Actual walkingActual running

FAIL FAI

LResistance too low

Not enough sensitivity

OKAY

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FUTURE WORKS

Detection of strength/duration of hug Walking and running detection Gamification Making the bears smaller

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VIDEO

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THANK YOU!

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BACKUP

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How can we leverage existing technologies to simulate physical interactions?

INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION Stuffed animals are often given as a symbol

of emotion or a personal connection. These bears are static, often times you wonder if

there is only someway I can communicate with the bear to show I am thinking of them

Enhance interpersonal communication Communicating emotions in tangible form Enhance communication between loved

ones and to develop a personal emotional language

Create a portable tangible form of interpersonal communication

Build on the bear methaphor Real-time sharing of activity