Devices for sharing thoughts and affection at a distance

ABSTRACT

Interpersonal communication involves more than just words. Many forms of communication involve physical acts showing warm thoughts and affection, such as giving flowers or displaying photos. Yet these forms of personal communication are difficult at a distance. In this paper, we describe the concept of devices for communicating affection and thoughts from a distance. We detail two devices that we are exploring to support many of these physical interpersonal interactions-an augmented candy dispenser and a digital picture frame-and discuss design issues we have encountered as we investigate this interesting application space.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.m Miscellaneous

Keywords:
distance communication, gumball machine, picture frame, ubiquitous devices