BEARLY THERE
Bearly There explores how sensing technology can be used to create "smart" companions for young children that can provide a connective experience between the parent and child in times when they are physically apart. The teddy bear's sensing capabilities (voice, movement, pressure) maps a child's interactions into a beautiful visualization of light for the parent to enjoy anywhere and on-the-go. By seamlessly embedding sensors into our existing material environments, we can create elegant, subtle ways to foster connection between ourselves and those we care most about.
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The first companion piece, seen on the left, is a soft plush bear with a film pressure sensor, microphone, and accelerometer seamlessly woven into it. These sensors read data about how the child is interacting with the toy, which they then fed into the second companion piece, seen on the right—an acrylic globe lamp encasing 40 Neopixel LED lights. The microphone tracks volume, which, at a certain level, then activates the lamp by changing brightness from 0 to 100, thereby effectively turning it "on." The pressure sensor then tracks when the child squeezes or hugs the bear and to what degree, which then produces a white flash of light in the lamp. Lastly, the accelerometer tracks the bear's angle relatively to gravity through three dimensions known as yaw, pitch, and roll (much like the x, y, and z axes of a 3-d graph); different ranges of yaw, pitch, and roll correspond to different colors and gradients. After 10 seconds have gone by without detecting any pressure or audible noise, the lamp changes brightness from 100 to 0, effectively turning "off."
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The first companion piece, seen on the left, is a soft plush bear with a film pressure sensor, microphone, and accelerometer seamlessly woven into it. These sensors read data about how the child is interacting with the toy, which they then fed into the second companion piece, seen on the right—an acrylic globe lamp encasing 40 Neopixel LED lights. The microphone tracks volume, which, at a certain level, then activates the lamp by changing brightness from 0 to 100, thereby effectively turning it "on." The pressure sensor then tracks when the child squeezes or hugs the bear and to what degree, which then produces a white flash of light in the lamp. Lastly, the accelerometer tracks the bear's angle relatively to gravity through three dimensions known as yaw, pitch, and roll (much like the x, y, and z axes of a 3-d graph); different ranges of yaw, pitch, and roll correspond to different colors and gradients. After 10 seconds have gone by without detecting any pressure or audible noise, the lamp changes brightness from 100 to 0, effectively turning "off."
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