01
Sensing a squeeze
Pressure changes how much light reaches the phone camera. That brightness change becomes a simple input the application can recognise.
Cuddly
An interactive experiment transforming soft everyday objects into responsive digital companions.
- Year
- 2013
- Format
- Interaction research
- Tools
- Android, Photoshop
- Project for
- Keio Media Design (KMD) ↗
About the work
When a soft object becomes an interface
Cuddly explores ways of transforming everyday soft objects into interactive companions using a mobile phone’s built-in sensors and light sources. By embedding a phone into familiar tactile objects, the project creates responsive experiences that react to surrounding brightness and physical interaction through sound, light, and screen-based feedback. The work investigates playful and approachable forms of interaction that blend digital behavior with soft physical materials.
02
Turning input into play
My responsibilities were camera-based RGB detection and developing the different applications using that detection method. The project was presented at ACE 2013 and exhibited in Emerging Technologies at SIGGRAPH Asia 2013.
How it works
The camera and flash light are used to detect the compression on the object.
When no pressure is applied, the lights will spread out causing the surroundings to be bright.
However, when pressure is applied, the density increases, reducing the light entering the camera. Hence, reducing the brightness.
Using this concept, we can create multiple interactive applications.
Ways to play
Select an image to view it at full size.
My contribution
- RGB detection on the camera's screen
- Created all the different types of apps using this method of detection
Presentation & exhibition
- Speaker : Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology 2013 (ACE 2013)
- Exhibitor : Siggraph Asia 2013, Emerging Technologies
Voice & play
I developed an app that lets you record three different voice scripts and load them into a soft toy. When you squeeze the toy, it plays your voice with a randomly altered pitch. It’s a playful and creative way to interact with your toys. Check out the video below to see it in action!