Patches Expressions

Regular online interaction is limited – the Facebook Poke takes away from the physical interaction associated with real a poke.

How can we better express ourselves online?

Patches is a wearable device that communicates with Facebook and allows your online expressions to be felt offline. Responding to your friend has never been easier: simply touch the Patch.

The Patches Kit allows even more opportunities for expression:
CREATE your own Patch
SHARE it with your friends
EXPRESS yourself physically with 12 different expressions, not just poke

Overview

When a friend pokes you, you will feel a vibration from the Patch and see a design appear on its surface. A text message will be sent to your phone indicating your friend. You can respond by simply poking the Patch. If your friend is wearing a Patch as well, further communication can be made just with the Patches system.

Emotional Drawing Interface

Express your emotions through drawing. The interface uses behavioural psychology methods to extract the emotional content from your lines.

As you draw, your emotion is recorded in real-time and the play-back button shows your emotions as they unfold. You can then send your personal emotion to your friend who will physically feel and see the expression with Patches. For those who do not have Patches, you can still play-back the expression on Facebook.

Sending and Receiving Physical Expressions

Receiving an expression: Your online emotions are converted to the physical domain where you will feel vibrations and warmth and see the Patch light up based on the emotional content. A text message will be sent to your phone telling you which friend sent you the expression. Through prolonged use, we hope you will come to understand these meanings without the text message.

Responding to your friend is simple and fun – just touch your Patch. Your gestures are measured and sent back either directly to your friend’s Patch, or to the online interface (if your friend doesn’t have a Patch).

You can respond in 12 different ways.

The graphics indicate 12 different touch qualities recognized by the Patch.

How to Create, Share, & Express with Patches

1. Go to the Patches Expressions Facebook application.
   
   

   Patches Expressions Facebook app

   
   
2. Order a Patches Kit and follow the instructions to personalize your Patch.
   
   

   Each Kit includes: blank Patch, thermochromic ink set, paint brush, thread, iron-on transfer paper, and needle

   
   
3. Personalize your Patch (2 options)
   
   

   Novice - Iron On Transfer Method

   
   
   

   Expert - Sewing Method

   
   

   *Thermochromic ink is a heat sensitive pigment that changes colour. It even reacts to body temperature. Specialized electronics inside of the Patch will heat the surface and reveal your personalized icon, in this case, a cello or the word "poke".

4. Register your Patch through the Patches Expressions Facebook app and select a friend to share your Patch.
   
   

   There are 2 sharing options: "Share with a friend" allows you to directly share your expressions with your friend. Only your friend will physically feel the expressions you send through the patch and they can directly send back expressions to you. After choosing this option, you must give your Patch to a friend. "Global" allows you to keep your Patch and you can receive expressions from all your friends on Facebook. Send expressions back by touching your Patch.

   
   

5. Send an expression to your friend using the Emotional Drawing Interface. As you draw, the quality of your lines are analyzed using behavioural psychology methods and continuously updated below your cursor. The interface records your drawings in real time so that your friends can watch the expression unfold as it was originally intended.
   
   

   Click the record button to start recording your drawings. The qualities of lines will reflect different emotions. When you are satisfied with your emotion, click the stop button. The play button allows you to to see your emotions unfold in real time.

   
   
6. The recipient will feel a level of vibration and see the personalized icon heat up. Thermochromic ink is a heat sensitive pigment that is used to reveal the icon.
   
   

   The Patch is controlled by an Arduino microcontroller to trigger the Patch. For now, the Arduino must be physically connected to a laptop for wifi communication to the Patch server. Future work will look towards a wireless embedded server to allow the Patch to wirelessly communication to the Patch server. A ribbon cable enables the Patch to be placed anywhere on the body.