Soon, parents who travel too often or live away from their children would be able to keep in 'touch' with them. For, a system developed in Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU)'s Interaction and Entertainment Research Center is aiming at being able to transmit hugs and touches online.
As of now, researcher James Teh is concentrating on pet-owners 'hugging' their chickens over the Web. If successful, the process will be extended to humans. Teh developed a wireless suit with sensors for chicken that was in its coop at 'home'. A video camera tracked the movements of the fowl, transmitting this information online to the pet-owner, who was sitting in the 'office'.
A toy chicken modelled on the live fowl emulated its movements in the 'office'. When the pet-owner touched the toy chicken, the sensors caught the signals, online transmitting them back to the chicken at home. Through the suit, the chicken felt the vibrations and hence, the 'touch' of the owner.
On his choice of chicken as subjects, Teh, who is only 24 years old, said, in a statement, “Poultry are one of the most badly treated animals in the modern world. It has been shown that they have high levels of both cognition and feelings. There is also a tradition of keeping poultry as pets. However in modern cities and societies it is often difficult to maintain contact with pets, particularly for office workers.”
Teh added the 'cybernetics system' used mobile and Internet technology to improve human-to-pet interaction. “It can also be used for people who are allergic to touching animals and thus cannot stroke them directly. This interaction encompasses both visualization and tactile sensation of real objects,” he added. Those afraid of contracting bird flu might also want to take note of this one.
Teh now wants to develop the suit for humans, especially children who miss being hugged and touched by parents away at work. “These days, parents go on a lot of business trips, but with children, hugging and touching are very important,” said Adrian David Cheok, director of NTU's Interaction and Entertainment Research Center.
Teh and his team would concentrate on developed a wireless pajama suit that will sport the sensors and be able to mimic the actions of the chicken suit. While children can wear the suit wherever they are, parents can transmit their hugs online by putting on a similar suit at their end.
