8 research outputs found
Responsive and Emotive Wearable Technology: physiological data, devices and communication
My research practice and thesis investigates how wearable technology can be used to create
new forms of nonverbal communication. Using devices developed through my practice,
I explore how physiological data can be drawn from the body, then visualised and broadcast.
I examine the opinions and requirements of potential users and observers of this
technology, through qualitative responses in interviews and surveys from focus groups
and field tests. I have analysed the resulting data to extract preferences and concerns,
plus the requirements for the functionality and aesthetics of these devices. I discuss the
social and cultural aspects of wearing such devices, as well as the issues, including how
privacy may be affected and the implications of recording personal data.
I examine my practice in the context of the work of the communities and practitioners in
the field, and introduce two new terms to label two sub-sections of wearable technology.
These are âresponsive wearablesâ and âemotive wearablesâ, and they form part of the
distinctive contribution that I make. Reflecting on the evolution of my practice has led to
other contributions regarding the development of wearable technology. Through this, I
identify and share the insights into the disciplines and processes required for the fusion of
technology and design successfully to evolve electronics, code and materials into research
prototypes.
I conclude by discussing findings from my practice, research and studies with potential
users of emotive wearables. I comment on the impact that physiologically sensing wearable
technology has on aspects of social interaction for the individual as well as for the
wider community. I open the discussion on future research by revealing two new examples
of emotive wearables â the AnemoneStarHeart and the ThinkerBelle EEG Amplifying
Dress â which have evolved from pinpointing specific areas of the focus group and field
test feedback that I undertook
Sensors in your clothes: Design and development of a prototype
Wearable computing is fast advancing as a preferred approach for integrating software solutions not only in our environment, but also in our everyday garments to exploit the numerous information sources we constantly interact with. This paper explores this context further by showing the possible use of wearable sensor technology for information critical information systems, through the design and development of a proof-of-concept prototyp
Designing and evaluating haptic avatar biosignals for social Virtual Reality
Current social VR interaction lacks a lot of the nonverbal cues that are available when
talking to people in the real world. Therefore, this work aimed to explore the biosignals
heart rate and body temperature as potential new forms of nonverbal communication
cues. The objective was two-fold: 1) Exploring how to design these biosignals properly so
they feel natural to the participants, and 2) Studying how haptic biosignals could be of
added value on the interaction with an avatar in VR
Diversity and Inclusivity in the Age of Wearables: A Buzzword, a Myth, an Uncertain Reality
âWearable Technologyâ is a buzzword of our contemporary era. It could be argued there are few examples of aesthetically pleasing devices that are designed to meet our needs and/or our consumer desires. However, do we focus on design and aesthetics of technology as a holistic action with the capacity to simultaneously engage conceptual and practical shifts that make our society a place with no boundaries? To design inclusively is to engage the user deeply throughout the design process, sharing our practices and amalgamating peopleâs unique knowledge as technological interventions. Design diversity and inclusion seems to be used interchangeably with two other terminologies, a) Universal Design and b) Design for All. The terms have a parallel purpose but their origin and use is distinguished in various parts of the world. For example, Inclusive Design is used within Europe and goes beyond age, ethnicity, gender, sex, and disabilities to focus on other excluded groups to deliver mainstream solutions. Inspired by the limited understanding and choices around aesthetics and personalisation in wearables, this article discusses how we use technology to empower individuals in a variety of contexts; to improve our way of living in the world, through a number of contextual resources and practice-research, which were devised and conducted to address womenâs concerns and preferences on wearable technologies
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Tensions of Data-Driven Reflection: A Case Study of Real-Time Emotional Biosensing
Biosensing displays, increasingly enrolled in emotional reflection, promise authoritative insight by presenting usersâ emotions as discrete categories. Rather than machines interpreting emotions, we sought to explore an alternative with emotional biosensing displays in which users formed their own interpretations and felt comfortable critiquing the display. So, we designed, implemented, and deployed, as a technology probe, an emotional biosensory display: Ripple is a shirt whose pattern changes color responding to the wearerâs skin conductance, which is associated with excitement. 17 participants wore Ripple over 2 days of daily life. While some participants appreciated the âphysical connectionâ Ripple provided between body and emotion, for others Ripple fostered insecurities about âhow muchâ feeling they had. Despite our design intentions, we found participants rarely questioned the displayâs relation to their feelings. Using biopolitics to speculate on Rippleâs surprising authority, we highlight ethical stakes of biosensory representations for sense of self and ways of feeling
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Diversity and inclusivity in the age of wearables: A buzzword, a myth, an uncertain reality
âWearable Technologyâ is a buzzword of our contemporary era. It could be argued there are few examples of aesthetically pleasing devices that are designed to meet our needs and/or our consumer desires. However, do we focus on design and aesthetics of technology as a holistic action with the capacity to simultaneously engage conceptual and practical shifts that make our society a place with no boundaries? To design inclusively is to engage the user deeply throughout the design process, sharing our practices and amalgamating peopleâs unique knowledge as technological interventions. Design diversity and inclusion seems to be used interchangeably with two other terminologies, a) Universal Design and b) Design for All. The terms have a parallel purpose but their origin and use is distinguished in various parts of the world. For example, Inclusive Design is used within Europe and goes beyond age, ethnicity, gender, sex, and disabilities to focus on other excluded groups to deliver mainstream solutions. Inspired by the limited understanding and choices around aesthetics and personalisation in wearables, this article discusses how we use technology to empower individuals in a variety of contexts; to improve our way of living in the world, through a number of contextual resources and practice-research, which were devised and conducted to address womenâs concerns and preferences on wearable technologies
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Emotional Biosensing: Exploring Critical Alternatives
Emotional biosensing is rising in daily life: Data and categories claim to know how people feel and suggest what they should do about it, while CSCW explores new biosensing possibilities. Prevalent approaches to emotional biosensing are too limited, focusing on the individual, optimization, and normative categorization. Conceptual shifts can help explore alternatives: toward materiality, from representation toward performativity, inter-action to intra-action, shifting biopolitics, and shifting affect/desire. We contribute (1) synthesizing wide-ranging conceptual lenses, providing analysis connecting them to emotional biosensing design, (2) analyzing selected design exemplars to apply these lenses to design research, and (3) offering our own recommendations for designers and design researchers. In particular we suggest humility in knowledge claims with emotional biosensing, prioritizing care and affirmation over self- improvement, and exploring alternative desires. We call for critically questioning and generatively re- imagining the role of data in configuring sensing, feeling, âthe good life,â and everyday experience