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Mole Messenger: Pushable Interfaces for Connecting Family at a Distance

Authors:

Hiroshi IshiiAuthors Info & Claims

TEI '19: Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction

Pages 269 - 274

https://doi.org/10.1145/3294109.3300990

Published: 17 March 2019 Publication History

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Abstract

Mole Messenger is a pair of connected creatures that help children share and send messages to their loved ones who may be far away. Each Mole Messenger box houses a pushable mole. When one is pushed, the other pops up, as if traversing to the other side of the globe. The mole can be tapped to carry different color messages when pushed and can be used to play physically engaged games across distances. This paper describes the design and implementation of the system, explores various approaches within the design space, engages with the context and user experience, and meditates on the potential for positive psychological impact. Inspired by one family's story of separation and how they helped their children stay connected, we hope Mole Messenger can become an important tool for communication and healthy emotional development in children.

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Cited By

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Núñez-Pacheco CBeuthel JGarrett RTsaknaki VKoulidou N(2024)Designing [Im]Material Inventories of Nomadic BelongingsCompanion Publication of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3656156.3658380(401-404)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3656156.3658380
Shakeri HYuan YAxtell BGeiskkovitch DNeustaedter C(2024)Designing Smart Home Technology For Passive Co-Presence Over DistanceProceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3643834.3661508(3389-3406)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3643834.3661508
Hommes JKipp M(2024)Light Bridge: Improving social connectedness through ambient spatial interactionProceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3643834.3660689(1658-1665)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3643834.3660689
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Index Terms

Mole Messenger: Pushable Interfaces for Connecting Family at a Distance
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Interaction devices
      1. Haptic devices

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Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

TEI '19: Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction

March 2019

785 pages

ISBN:9781450361965

DOI:10.1145/3294109

General Chairs:
Stacey Kuznetsov
Arizona State University, USA
,
Daniel Saakes
KAIST, South Korea
,
Ron Wakkary
Simon Fraser University, Canada & Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands
,
Program Chairs:
Luc Geurts
KU Leuven, Belgium
,
Lauren Hayes
Arizona State University, USA
,
Manfred Lau
Lancaster University, UK & City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author.

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 17 March 2019

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Work in progress

Conference

TEI '19

Sponsor:

SIGCHI

TEI '19: Thirteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction

March 17 - 20, 2019

Arizona, Tempe, USA

Acceptance Rates

TEI '19 Paper Acceptance Rate 36 of 110 submissions, 33%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 393 of 1,367 submissions, 29%

Upcoming Conference

TEI '25

Sponsor:
sigchi

Nineteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction

March 4 - 7, 2025

Bordeaux / Talence , France

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Cited By

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Núñez-Pacheco CBeuthel JGarrett RTsaknaki VKoulidou N(2024)Designing [Im]Material Inventories of Nomadic BelongingsCompanion Publication of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3656156.3658380(401-404)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3656156.3658380
Shakeri HYuan YAxtell BGeiskkovitch DNeustaedter C(2024)Designing Smart Home Technology For Passive Co-Presence Over DistanceProceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3643834.3661508(3389-3406)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3643834.3661508
Hommes JKipp M(2024)Light Bridge: Improving social connectedness through ambient spatial interactionProceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference10.1145/3643834.3660689(1658-1665)Online publication date: 1-Jul-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3643834.3660689
Shakeri HNeustaedter C(2024)Passive Co-presence: Exploring How Peripheral Devices Connect People Over DistanceExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3651126(1-6)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3651126
Arora SJin QYarosh S(2023)Exploring Embodied Approaches for Large Age Gap Sibling Communication through Technology ProbesProceedings of the 22nd Annual ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference10.1145/3585088.3593892(635-640)Online publication date: 19-Jun-2023
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Dyer M(2023) The Role of Smart, Haptic Wearables in the Performance of Mensura Contemporary Music Review10.1080/07494467.2023.227979942:3(351-362)Online publication date: 28-Nov-2023
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Beuthel JHofer LFuchsberger V(2022)Exploring Remote Communication through Design Interventions: Material and Bodily ConsiderationsNordic Human-Computer Interaction Conference10.1145/3546155.3546650(1-13)Online publication date: 8-Oct-2022
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Beuthel JBentegeac PFuchsberger VMaurer BTscheligi MKaltenbrunner MMurer MWolf KOakley I(2021)Experiencing Distance: Wearable Engagements with Remote RelationshipsProceedings of the Fifteenth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded, and Embodied Interaction10.1145/3430524.3446071(1-13)Online publication date: 14-Feb-2021
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McDaniel TTadayon R(2021)Haptic Mediators for Remote Interpersonal CommunicationMultimedia for Accessible Human Computer Interfaces10.1007/978-3-030-70716-3_8(217-250)Online publication date: 19-Feb-2021
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Li YRossmy BHußmann H(2020)Tangible Interaction with Light: A ReviewMultimodal Technologies and Interaction10.3390/mti40400724:4(72)Online publication date: 5-Oct-2020
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