In the near future, you’re able to hug your loved ones in the United States, even when you’re overseas. Created by students and researchers at NUS (National University of Singapore), Huggy Pajama is a novel wearable system aimed at promoting physical interaction in remote communication between parent and child. This system enables parent and child to hug one another through a novel hugging interface device and a wearable, hug reproducing jacket connected through the Internet.
The hugging device is a small, mobile doll with embedded pressure sensing circuit that is able to sense varying levels of human force. This device sends hug signals to a haptic jacket that simulates the feeling of being hugged to the wearer. It features high fidelity, air pockets actuating to reproduce hug, heating elements to produce warmth that accompanies hug and color changing display to indicate distance of separation between the end users. Sounds cool right?
The remote control can work from anywhere in the world via an Internet connection that carries signals to the jacket. The product is expected to be available commercially by next year.
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