Can distant co-presence hold distant human connections alive?
— July fifth, 2024
The pandemic made a number of issues apparent, not the least of which is that people want social interplay to take care of good psychological well being. Sadly, many people spend our lives bodily separated from our family members by nice distances or inopportune circumstances. That’s why a group of researchers determined to discover distant co-presence design inside the class of good dwelling expertise.
The purpose of this design analysis, performed by an interdisciplinary group from McMaster College and Simon Fraser College, was to experiment with expertise that fosters human connection over lengthy distances. However in distinction to typical communication, like e mail and video chats, this creates a way of shared bodily proximity.
The group developed two gadgets to reveal the idea. The primary is a paired chair system known as There Chair, with one chair visually indicating when somebody occupies the opposite. If one chair is in a cherished one’s dwelling and the opposite in your individual, then you definately would see once they sit down — and vice-versa. The visible indicator is a “show” made up of a spiral wire lined in particular cloth that modifications shade when present movement causes that wire to warmth up. There are additionally heating pads within the seat to imitate the heat of an individual’s physique. These function beneath the management of an Arduino UNO Rev3 board.
The opposite gadget, known as The Perfume Body, can also be meant to pair with a distant equal. It, too, comprises an UNO Rev3. The gadget appears like an image body, however with an ultrasonic sensor and a perfume sprayer. When one unit detects somebody close by, it tells the paired unit to spray its scent. Ideally, a particular scent will set off a reminiscence related to that particular person.
Each of those are an try at utilizing expertise to create a sense of closeness. These particular gadgets could not make it onto the patron market, however the thought behind them will inevitably catch on.
Picture credit score: H. Shakeri et al.