“Here and There: Plush Robots”

“Here and There: Plush Robots” is a set of two plush toys that communicate over long distances to create emotional haptic feedback. It is ideally designed for a child and a distant relative who want emotional contact with the child through a physical interface specially designed for them. The system works as follows: whenever a person hugs the toy, the second toy lights up and vibrates simultaneously. In real-time, “Here and There: Plush Robots” provides a reminder of physical presence: it does not attempt to replace a real person, but still creates an emotional connection of value to both participants. It utilizes wireless network technologies and the Internet to achieve this long-distance communication.


Final paper

Related posts about the design process can be reached here.

The final presentation can be seen here.