Custom jacket with LCD screen that displays a range of emoticons based on force sensors in the sleeves.
Concept: Make a jacket that has a small LCD screen to create subtexts for interpersonal human interaction. The user would use a limited “keyboard” with force sensors and buttons under soft silicone keys to create computer textual subtitles to human interaction (textual emoticons, ie: :P). The dichotomy between personal interaction that occurs in physical space and that which occurs on a computer or in virtual space will be evident and reference IMing, online gaming, texting, email, and other forms of distanced interpersonal interaction. The loss of intonation and body language that occurs at the intersection of computers and textual communication is evident in today’s culture.
In this application, the effort we put into replacing the nuances of personal communication with punctuation and textual cues in the virtual realm will help subtitle and enhance (or confuse) the conversation and interaction that occurs in the physical realm. Force sensors will allow the wearer to react to the conversation in a natural way, the more tension, the more force applied, the more more intense the emoticon. This also introduces a lack of control over the emoticon displayed and the perception of the emoticon in the context of the interaction.
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