Week 8: Non-traditional Physical Interactions

Some ideas (some good but mostly not so good) exploring some unique types of physical controls:

Email

• An email is represented by an object such as a block. By putting the block in different containers will correspond with moving emails to different folders. Putting a block in the "trash" can will delete the email.
• Each of your email contacts are represented by a character figurine. Speaking up close to a character will record and send an email to them.
• Email inbox number is represented by a level (like a thermometer), the higher it is the more new emails you have. The goal is encourage the users to lower the level to zero.
• Emails are printed on cards, when the card is crumpled the corresponding email is deleted.
• Pick up a pencil to start a new email. Anything you say when the pencil is held will be converted to the email's text.

Twitter

• Writing a tweet on a post it note (limited space means limited characters used) and pinning it to a board posts it.
• Printing a tweet (may have special identifier such as QR code) and display it on a special board will add it as a favourite tweet and then display your favourite tweets physically, offline
• Notifications received will be literally "tweeted" with sound. Tweet text is converted to audio and can be played back, like an answering machine.
• A scrabble like board with 140 empty spaces. Placing letter tiles on these spaces will form a tweet. Once done lift the board vertically and throw off all the times at once to send tweet.
• A small loudspeaker like device. When you want to speak, take out your loudspeaker and say your tweet into this. Everyone around you can hear it loudly, and it will also be captured and sent as a tweet.

Super Mario Bros

• The player has to physically move, jump, run to control the characters corresponding actions
• Related to the above idea, for multiplayer games, you have to verbally direct another player who cannot see their character on screen. They then must do the correct physical gesture. Afterwards they can see the game recording side by side with a recording of their movements.
• Toys/figurines are used as controllers. So by moving the toy through a space or over physical objects represents the character in the game's action.
• Collecting coins and other special items in the game also dispenses real world versions of these objects that you can collect as you play. You could even use these as currency, by inserting coins back into the game console to unlock levels, get more lives etc.
• Punching a soft toy representing an enemy or an obstacle to destroy. The harder you punch, the more effective your attack in the game!