Yongsoon Choi, [goodsoon96]

Sound Aroma

2011-09-27T02:04:00.000-07:00

Stress is a normal part of life, especially during periods of transition and uncertainty. But if left unmanaged, stress can lead to emotional, psychological, and even physical problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pains, or irregular heartbeat.
There are lot options available to reduce stress. Sound (music) and aromatherapy are bestselling stress relievers because a relaxing sound and pleasant scent can reduce stress in any given tense situation[1].
The idea behind Sound Aroma is to design a personalized wearable anti-stress system that uses calming sounds and comforting scents to benefit a person under stress. When we listen to or smell something, the auditory and olfactory receptors transmit a message to the limbic system in the brain. This system supports a variety of functions including those related to instincts, moods and emotions. This is the reason why sound and aroma therapies are particularly good for treating stress, emotional and psychological problems [2].
The Sound Aroma system will provide a refreshing and relaxing feeling to user using auditory and olfactory sensory inputs when the user is overexerted. Through a pair of glasses (our current developed prototype), the user is stimulated on an implicit level by ten sound and eight aroma fragrance samples. The user needs to assign her choice previously as her preference in the Sound Aroma mobile phone application.
When a user gets in stress moods, the fashion accessories for sensing the stress detects her stress and forwards that that information to her mobile phone. Her mobile phone system logs this data and sends the set sound & smell to the Sound Aroma actuator system, which will then stimulate the user like an emotional refreshment. The sound and aroma actuators are attachable modules on the glasses, and are located behind the wearer’s ear. Aroma actuators heat the solid aroma and the pulsating sound from the speaker helps to gently emit the fragrance. This indirect sound and aroma stimulation helps the user to decrease her stress level, and refresh her subconsciously. In addition, the system can also be integrated with a mobile phone application to analyze the user’s stress patterns and helping us create a personalized solution based on her log data. In addition, her stress log data in her mobile phone can be used by her doctor later as reference.

Experience Tele-communication

2011-07-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

Modern Tele-communication media are mainly using two primary human senses: sight and auditory, is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate and it enables us to interconnect each other surpassing the temporal and spatial constraints. However using today's highly advanced Tele-communications, it is sometime not sufficient to deeply express our intended minds and intrinsic information more truly and with more human warmth even though we are using many diverse Tele-communication media.

In our real world communications, of course; there are numerous ways to communicate with each other beyond simple visual and auditory informational communication. For example, we convey emotions through facial expressions, voice tones, eye contact, hugging, holding hands, body and hand gestures, and expressing identity, feelings and circumstances through clothing styles, and so on. We send out hundreds of signals about ourselves, and people subconsciously read those signals and react to them long before we've had a chance to say or do anything of substance. These various means of experiential communication are associated with our five interactions closely and all organic interactions work in harmony to communicate our feelings and intentions with conscious and subconscious ways. In other words, our experiential communications are closely linked with our delicate feeling and emotional communications.

The idea of Experience Tele-communication is the transmission of experiential information for augmenting people’s emotional communication ways over significant distances through five organic sensational interactions from media. The Experience Tele-communication is about the next generation of telecommunication that helps to promote emotional and reliable communications between people surpassing the temporal and spatial constraints and augment their co-presence experiences to enrich our communication activities for understanding the other person’s diverse emotional context and feelings through five human organic sensory interactions. The Experience Tele-communication is expected to contribute for extending emphatic relationships to share variable emotional experiences between people and also make a better ‘feeling communication’ between them in near future.

Sound Perfume I

2011-07-12T21:13:00.000-07:00

Using today's highly advanced interpersonal media, it is sometime not sufficient to deeply express our intended minds and intrinsic information more truly and with more human warmth even though we are using many diverse communication media surpassing the temporal and spatial constraints. And in current highly interconnected world, building meaningful personal relationships is becoming increasingly complex. And these are affecting our quality of human relationships.
Unique sounds & smells help in creating mental images of a personality for the other person, and this unique impression aids in the memory of one another. Sound & smell can sometimes generate stronger emotional feelings than words can. They can even sometimes awaken strong, long forgotten memories. Many psychology studies of sound and smell have shown the powerful triggering mechanism on both emotion and memory. Moreover, sounds and smells can sometimes subconsciously help in creating a mental impression of another person’s personality during face-to-face interpersonal interactions, and the unique sound and smell impressions aid in the memory of one another. As our personal relationships progress, creating a meaningful impression of ourselves has subconsciously an important role in promoting ourselves to others in a memorable and positive way.

My novel idea is to make a wearable type of interpersonal communication media that subconsciously help peoples to encourage face-to-face interpersonal interactions as like pheromones communication between animals. My invention; Sound Perfume can help to express user’s unique identity and impression subconsciously to others and augment the recollection of memories of a user’s impression through the indirect rich sense of sound and fragrance stimulation from a pair of glasses during face-to-face interpersonal communication. When user starts conversations with the other person for the first time, ID sound & fragrance information is shared by each other through wireless mobile communication. Received ID information is forwarded to his glasses and he can feel the other person's ID sound & fragrance through actuators in his glasses. These actuators are attachable modules on the glasses, which are located behind the wearer’s ears for indirect stimulation. Fragrance actuators heat the solid perfume. Pulsating ID sound from the speaker helps to gently emit a fragrance. When user meets the other person again in the future, his phone recognizes the other person and transfers ID information to his glasses to automatically regenerate the other person's ID sound & fragrance once again. These indirect stimulations help him awaken memory of the other person again. Sound Perfume can also be integrated with a mobile phone camera and photo viewer applications. When user takes the other person's picture using a mobile phone camera, this photo saves a shot location, time, and the other person's ID sound & fragrance information. When he sees this picture or passes by this place later, he can feel the other person's ID sound & fragrance softly through his glasses.

Sound Perfume can augment expression of user’s identity to others, encourage peoples’ face-to-face bonding interactions with emotional way, express messages of warmth, happiness and love in communication indirectly, and strengthen human relationships subtly through the emotional and memorable sound & smell experiences in face-to-face interpersonal communication.

Empathy Fashion Media

2011-07-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

When we observe human communication, it is known that body gestures, facial expressions, and touch can sometimes explain human’s intended mind and intrinsic information. This indirect and unusual communication ways are also taking significant roles in our human communication to share delicates emotions with others and it helps people to communicate each other with true and warm heart.

We have expressed personality, occupations, surrounding circumstances, other ambient messages through clothes and accessories from ancient times, and currently, thanks to the wearable technologies and related technologies, we can embed electronics device and smart materials into clothing.

From the past, many people have used cloth as a non interactive communication media tool. However, recently owing to the development of wearable technologies, we can feel add interaction to the clothing communication to express some kind of emotions using the visual elements, touch, auditory and smell in clothing. Fore more, clothing directly contacts to our real skins and sensory organs, and this affects our emotions and behaviors. For example, we can feel self-esteem and refreshing feelings from changing clothes and accessories style and this psychological positive changes can help people communicate positively. For this reason, clothing can be said as emotional media that importantly affects our communication ways, activities, emotions. This research aims to express the love and that kind of delicate human communications and contexts in wearable clothing media. And I beleive Fashion media can soften our communication lives and encourage our communications.

Application I - Empathy fashion media for physical bondings in local communication

On-screen interaction devices with the Internet enable us to utilize and make social networks around the world faster and easier. But ironically, it made people connect to their own Internet societies separately even though they gathered together to have lunch. And family members have difficulties to communicate with each other, even though they live together, they are busy reply to their emails and SNSs on each other in their rooms separately. This scenario asks the sacrifices of our real relationships in local communications and eventually it is seriously effecting their relationships. It is interesting to know what is happening in the world, but also it is important to know what is happening around especially, family, friend, neighbor, and local community.

The Empathy fashion media project is about the next generation of fashion that helps physical-social network technologies based on wearer's contextual communication. It can enrich our local communication activities based on understanding the partner’s context. It will help to promote emotional and reliable communications in the society between family members, friends, neighbors, and local communities which need physical communications with each other.

Food Media

2011-07-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

At present, family relationships are undergoing a rapid evolution since the busier life styles of the people. Changes in social relationships and the family structure as well as less physical interaction between family members made our lives are getting more isolated in this century.
The kitchen is a significant place for the family members to interact with, while they stay at home. In general, the time spent with our family is more centrally located around the kitchen space. And especially, Food makes sofe and comfortable people and take a role of lubricating oil in communication. Hence, strength of family bonds, satisfaction, and happiness could be experienced importantly by sharing more time accordingly with the family.

The Food Media project is about the future of remote co-living communication in approximately 10 years. It enriches family communications and it will help to promote emotional communications between family members, and supply new valuable experiences with augment personal expressions to connect people with the kitchen space.
The proposed Food Media is expected to contribute for extended family communication medium to share variable experiences and make a better feeling communication between family and friends in near future.

NEC Kitchen Media

2011-07-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

Busier lifestyles are making us more isolated. Through sharing food together, we want to help strengthen relationships, build bonds and encourage communication.
The co-dining system enables people to share food together even if they are in separate locations. Through the screen interaction system, food printer, interactive tablecloth and moving tablewear, users can share a dining experience in a novel and exciting way.
Through a co-cooking interface, people can feel like they are cooking together. The experience of preparing food with another person encourages collaborative communication, and engages multiple senses to enhance the feeling of togetherness.
NEC Kitchen Media is a project designed to enhance communication through sharing food together.

Flavor Visualization for Co-Cooking system

2011-07-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

I was developing a co-cooking system that helps users to make similar tasting dishes, even though users may all be in remote locations and potentially cooking at different times.
Because it is difficult to explain verbally or through written media about cooking taste in the co-cooking interface system, I’ve researched a flavor visualization module that guides unique tastes with graphical information in the co-cooking interface system.
To achieve this, firstly, I conducted literature studies to clarify the flavor and visualization. I executed user studies to extract linguistic vocabularies of flavor expressions and sensibility vocabularies from each of the expression elements of visualization and flavor. I then built connections between sensibility vocabularies from the expression elements in visualization and flavor through literature studies and user interviews.
Based on this relationship grouping work, I could make a relationship table of flavor and visualization expressions that broadly contains the relationships between flavor expressions and visual expressions. I could then realize a real-time working prototype based on the relationship mapping table that I studied.
This flavor visualization can tackle the task of augmenting, through cross modal interactions, feelings of tastes by visual means.
In further research, I'm thinking flavor visualization will express individual cooking signatures, as derived from a personal history of taste and physical cooking habits. Also, it can visualize cooking tastes that express an individual’s unique taste signatures for a more precise and emotionally involved remote co-cooking experience. Through this, I'm expecting possibilities for fostering intimacy and family communication using the memory triggers that come from tastes. I hope this will make us emotionally feel coexistent in separated locations, and even different times, by facilitating conversation and other sensory communication with family and friends.

Caring Media

2008-09-02T05:18:00.000-07:00

"Caring Media" helps to enable better care for elderly, children and infants. This new media provides constant measurement and response to the individual's health conditions and provides protection against threats to health, well-being and secure as well. The media is based on design principles rather than simply being technology driven. The systems are developed based on experiments and theories of user experience design and user friendly interfaces. The deliverables will be wearable and home devices that would be designed to be pleasurable and familiar to children and elderly.

Statement of Purpose

2008-05-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

Statement of Purpose

My research interests can be divided into two parts. One aspect is user friendly wearable system interfaces and the other is the topic of affective wearable media.

Traditionally, many of communication methods have been focused mainly on voice-based and text-based communication. These communication methods are not sufficient to fully express human emotions and contexts. Body gestures, the touch of a hand, and facial expression are aspects of ambient communication expressions which can sometimes better convey our intended minds and provide intrinsic information more accurately and with more human warmth.

Clothing has been used as a communication medium since ancient times, whereas garments and accessories express social positions, abilities, personalities, and occupations, etc. These expressions have especially focused on visual expressions through colours, shapes, and textures. But nowadays, we can embed variable smart materials, and sensors into clothing, accessories, and new synthetic or complex organic fabrics. As a result, we can express various colours, sounds, textures, and even smells and taste expressions through clothing. Thus, the wearer can express their emotions and feelings using these smart expressions on the clothing and soft fabric-based media.

This affective wearable media focuses on emotional communication that can deeply send our feelings and emotions to others. In other words, this communication method does not only convey raw information, but also our deep feelings, intentions, expressions, and culture. This will revolutionize the present digital communications and enhance social, business, and entertainment communication.

As a fashion design school student of Kookmin University, which is the most famous design school in Korea, I was passionate about making expressive garments and design drawings of various types. During my studies, I taught the composition design class at the design institute as a part-time job.

In Korea, all men are required to go through military and Public service or substitute service that is working for a company instead of military service. I passed qualification test and could do substitute service. Fortunately, during this time, I was able to work for a company involving both sides of the design and the engineering departments. The company was the Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) & Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Solution Provider of IBM Korea. With my experience as a User Interface (UI) designer and web programmer, I perceived some gaps between the engineers and designers even though they used the same language throughout the many commercial projects. I realized that they were saying the same thing about the ‘user’ despite their different communication methods.

Naturally, this thought led me to decide to more deeply study the user and the interaction between design and engineering. I went to the Graduate School of Techno Design at Kookmin University to study Interaction Design which is an area studying human beings and interactions with other humans and artifacts with a focus on ubiquitous computing, mobile handsets, web, digital games, etc. The guiding principles were based on the human centered design concepts of prototype creation and user involvement in the design decision process. In the master course, I was involved in smart interaction projects such as, Motion Graphic User Interface in digital TV (MGUI) project with Samsung Electronics, smart home network service scenario project with ETRI, and smart home gadgets: a digital mirror and auditory user interfaces (AUI) with ICU. These projects all involved the user and in the ubiquitous computing environment, the body becomes the center of the action. It became clear to me that wearable interactive systems would be one of the important design frontiers faced in the future.

I focused my studies on wearable systems, wearable interfaces, and wearable interaction. This led to my master’s thesis entitled, “A study on the wearable computer interface design using the cloth fastening system.” This research involved the creation of prototypes and concept ideas of clothing fastener switches that can be separated, combined, and manipulated by users in a more friendly and easy manner. Through these smart clothing fasteners, I started to think about the clothing interaction with wearer and other people using smart lighting expressions on clothing. The wearable communication concept ideas-‘with you’ have been exhibited five times in Korea and Singapore and have been used in Korea Music Award Festival 2006. Additionally, I wrote six papers related to the issues uncovered in the process.

Fortunately, I have continued to study wearable media issues in the Mixed Reality Lab, IDM Institute in NUS through the huggy pajama project. This human to human interactive system focuses on the engineering and human interaction issues. This experience has led me to a better understanding of wider engineering issues while allowing me to further expand my research ideas relating to smart clothing and wearable systems.

My research interest in affective wearable media is truly interdisciplinary, requiring the integration of the following fields: Electrical and Computing Engineering, Fashion Design, Interaction Design, Sensibility Ergonomics, New Media Studies, and Psychology.

As I mentioned earlier, the engineering and design aspects seem to be very different, but in actuality, they are somewhat similar because they focus on the needs of users and in specific contexts, yet in one case focusing on engineering methods and in another, the focus is on design methods. There is a need to build bridges to more easily understand and harvest the benefits from these fields of research. I aim to be a strong bridge between these fields in the continued exploration into affective wearable media research.

Thank you very much for your kind attention to my long statement.

Research Proposal

2008-05-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

Research Proposal: Affective Wearable Soft Media

Choi, Yong Soon (goodsoon96@gmail.com)

May 2008

1. Introduction

Traditionally, we mainly use voice-based and text-based communication, such as a writing text, seeing displays, listening to sounds, etc. But these communication methods are not sufficient to fully express human emotions and contexts. The body gesture, touch of a hand, and facial expression are types of ambient communication expressions that can sometimes deeply explain our intended minds and intrinsic information more truly and with more human warmth.

Fig1. Clothing is a good communication media

Clothing has been used as a good communication media since ancient times where many wearers have used garments and accessories to express their social positions, abilities, personalities, occupations, and surrounding circumstances using their apparel types (garments, accessories, and etc.) These expressions have especially been focused on visual expressions such as colors, shapes, and textures, etc.

Nowadays however, we can embed smart materials, sensors, and devices into fabrics and clothing which leads to the development of wearable technologies.

As a result, we can express various colors, textile, sounds, textures, smells, and taste expressions on clothing types. Thus the wearer can express their emotions and feelings using these smart expressions on clothes and soft fabric based media.

This research aims to express love and other similar delicate human communication and context in wearable, soft, ambient media. Through this, we can communicate with other people in an interesting manner, easily and with more happiness. We can enlarge the possible objects of expression which can be used as a soft media such as clothing pieces (such as a bags, hats, shoes, gloves, neckties, belts, scarf, ribbon, watch, hair band, ear ring, necklace, finger ring, breastpin, etc.) and Interior design features (furniture, curtain, wall sheet and so on).

2. Affective Wearable Media

Fig2. The Diagram of Wearable soft Media based on Communication Process

Affective wearable media focuses on the emotional communication that can deeply send our feelings and emotions to others. In other words, this communication method does not only convey raw information, but also our deep feelings, intentions, expressions and culture through the smart clothing media. This will revolutionize the present digital communications and enhance social, business, and entertainment communication.

Affective media takes the full use of the five human senses and transcends traditional limits of media. Typically, we receive feeling information from others through our five senses; the media should also do this for more meaningful exchanges. For example, parents feel their children’s mood by the colour change of their T-shirt, or by the change in the smell of accessories, or by the sounds around their clothing.

Due to the broadness of our communication media, the methods of interaction are somewhat indirect compared with traditional, non-mediated communication methods. When we use a telephone or an online messenger service to communicate, the words we write or speak are direct. But for affective wearable media, it may not make sense to express our emotions directly with words printed on the clothing, and sometimes it is difficult to express one’s feelings directly even if word were to be used. In our proposed research, five sensory cues will represent our emotions. For example, sharp shaped clothing means bad or stressed mood, while warm and soft colour means happiness. This indirect way is not only intriguing for the wearer and others, but it is also an efficient way of sending messages in many cases.

Communication Channels – Human Sensory Organs

In general, the 5 human sensory organs (eyes - Seeing, ears - Hearing, skin - Touching, nose - smelling, mouth - Tasting) can be said to be the human communication channels. These communication channels can be identified as input/output interfaces in the communication cycle (e.g. Input: mouth - talking, hand - the writing, hand - the hand touches, output: the ears - listening his talk, the eyes - seeing the text, the skin - feel his hand touches, etc). In particular, this media takes the full use of five human senses and transcends traditional limits of media. In non-mediated situations, we receive others’ emotional information through any of our five senses; this can still be supported with new media even over a distance presenting new possibilities for interaction.

Media - Clothing Types and Soft Gadgets

In general, "media" refers to the various technical means which enable the communication process. For example, telephone, television, radio, and newspaper are traditional types of media. One of the most fundamental concepts related to the understanding of media is that it is "any extension of ourselves" (McLuhan). We can apply or create new technology features into existing fashion media, for example, particular fashion items and soft interior design gadgets can be used as communication media. Instead of the cold, mechanical buttons of a machine, a brooch, neck tie, parts of clothing such as cuffs and collars can be used as input and output in a more gentle approach.

Human Emotion

Human emotion is an issue which is subjective and often difficult to define. An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. It is a prime determinant of the sense of subjective well-being and appears to play a central role in many human activities. As a result of this generality, the subject has been explored in many, if not all of the human sciences and art forms. There is much controversy concerning how emotions are defined and classified.

But In this study, I am willing to study the representative human emotion models and human emotions that can be used in this study.

3. Expected Usage Scenario

Help me !

Mr. Lee, who has a heart disease, went to Korea for a business trip. He walks on Seoul Street and suddenly feels a dangerous heart pain. At the same time, his business suit sets off an alert light, which blinks to inform those immediately around him, and also informs his closest family members of the incident.

I love you ~

Today, James is wants to profess his love to his girl friend, so he meets with her and tells her in words, ‘I love you,’ while at the same time his clothing makes a lovely and beautiful colorful pattern animation and warm texture according to his nervous, and shy, but sincere mind. His girlfriend’s clothing also makes the beautiful colors, animated patterns, and warm texture on her dress. She can see his beautiful clothing color expression which signifies a great loving heart to her and she can feel his sincere love. So she receives his love and has communicated back her feelings as well.

Night mountaineering

Roshan goes night mountaineering during the winter for the first time. During the dark night, he loses the path leading back to the mountain villa and feels tired and cold. However, he need not worry about it as his suit was changed its shape to block the cold wind, and he can also see the other mountaineers when he notices the illuminated cloth moving up in the distance. He follows, rejoins them, and makes it safely to the mountain villa.

Intelligent Suit

Mr. Lee is very busy today. He has to join a big meeting in the morning, and meet his girlfriend later in the evening to celebrate her birthday. He wears the texture changing suit today. He rotates the button on the inside pocket to change the suit’s textile surface. The smart suit changes the textile for a cleaner and smart look. After his successful meeting, he rotates his button again, and this time his formal suit slowly changes to a more casual and fashionable style.

Predator Soldiers

Captain Lee, and his soldiers are in an armed invasion training session. They have to infiltrate a mocked up, well-guarded enemy base. Their enemies search for Captain Kim and his soldiers without success because Captain Kim and his soldier use the color changing military suits to help in concealing themselves. They manage to survive the mission “all clear.”

You’ve got urgent email!

Mrs. Choo works as a stock market dealer and receives much stress from her work. She is having lunch with her friend in a café. Suddenly, the soft smart material flowers of her handbag accessories change their color and start to physically blooming to tell her that she is receiving an urgent email form her boss. Her friend doesn’t know what is happening but envies her color changing handbag. Mrs Choo, however, calls the office secretary with a big smile.

Display Curtain

Ms.Yuki has lived in one room, in Tokyo, for a long time. The building she has lived in is very high and close to other buildings. Yuki sometimes feels that it is inconvenient when she changes her clothing and other private matters, because the people who live opposite easily could see her windows. So she always closes the windows and can't see the beautiful scenery. One day, Yuki bought the display curtain, this curtain is a real fabric interior item, but it has curtain and display functions combined. So from now on, she can see her beautiful scenery through this display curtain and she can change her clothes without any stress.

Pet Sofa

Mr. Kim lives alone in Korea due to his work assignment. His whole family is living in Singapore. He can easily feel loneliness after his work has finished and he has come back to his home alone. One day he buys the pet sofa. The sofa can feel the sitter's emotions using hand touch and voice. If the sitter touches this sofa with love, this sofa can make emotionally pleasing good color and lighting changes and makes cute sounds. It can also adjust the texture and supply the soft touch of fur, and provide a good smell. However, if there are no interactions with the sitter, this sofa is just a simple sofa. This sofa needs love from its owner. Thus, if the sofa receives love and has good relations with the sitter, there is a sharing of emotion as happens with a cute pet.

4. Research Areas

Fig3. The Architecture of Affective Wearable soft media

Based on the previous my studies about the wearable Interface and Interaction, I defined the interaction relationships of wearable soft media as four areas,

Interaction 1 - Sensing

This interaction is between the sender and smart media. The sensors can detect five sensory cues from the senders. An example is that the variable sensors in the smart media can measure the sender’s behaviors and emotional changes.

Human emotion is an issue which is subjective, difficult to define, and even more complicated to measure because it is so personal. In general, the methods for measuring human emotion is divided into two categories, one being the psychological method based on user's subjective evaluation and the other being the physiological methods based on physiological signs. These signs can be tracked by sensors such as brain waves, electromyography (EMG), motion analysis systems, ultrasound, seat pressure distribution systems, heart beat, temperature, eye tracking, as well as user observation methods including: ethnography, survey, questionnaire, interview, video observation, and photo diary.

Interaction 2 - Actuation

This interaction is between the smart media and the receiver. The actuator can actuate certain sensory cues, which can represent the emotion or feeling of the sender, according the transmitted parameters. Following the example above, the smart media can make various visual, auditory, tangible, smell and taste expressions such that the receiver can also understand the meaning of those expressions.

This actuation is based on the communication channel expressions (the 5 human sensory organs – visual, auditory, tangible, smell, and taste expressions)

The visual expression of clothing is color, shape, texture, textile, etc and the auditory expression is voice, music, non verbal sound. Tangible, smell, and taste expressions are under represented in current research and would benefit from more standard and formal researches.

Interaction 3 - Integration

This interaction is between the sender and the receiver. This interaction needs the integration of human emotions and various expressions to understand the sender’s messages and emotions.

In general, the methods for integrating human emotions and smart expressions are divided in two, one being quality, based on illustrious expert user's subjective opinions, and another being the quantity method based on the user’s feedback, opinions, and actions.

It is not easy to directly form the relationship between human emotions and smart expressions. Because human perceptions of the smart expression cues are different from current culture and daily experiences, this integration of information could contain cultural cues to aid in the understanding and adoption.

Interaction1,2,3 - Evaluation

The evaluation can be divided into 3 parts. The first one is the sensing evaluation part in which we evaluate the efficiency of sensing and user observation. The second aspect is the actuation evaluation in which we measure the efficiency and suitability in different methods of sending expressions. The third aspect is integration evaluation. In this, we evaluate the efficiency, usability, and suitability in the relationship of human emotions and various expressions on the clothing type and fabric-based soft media.

In general, the emotion evaluation includes many different methods, SD, questionnaire, interview, FGI(Focus group interview), ethnography, Kano interpretation, scenarios Methods, etc. These methods of analysis use different processes according to the purpose of analysis and the intended usage. For example, Kano interpretation is used for building up the development directions and models from the users needs which are first selected by the development groups.

Research Area	Research Issues
Sensing	Physical and Psychology Methods Sensing the Human Emotions through biosignals – brain waves, electromyography (EMG), motion analysis system, ultrasound, seat pressure distribution system, heart beat, temperature, eye tracking, etc Observing Behavior and Analyzing – Ethnography, Survey, Questionnaire, Interview, Video observation, Photo Diary, etc
Actuation	Visual Expression – Color, Shape, Textile, etc. Auditory Expression – Music, Voice, Non Verbal Sound, etc. Tangible Expression – Temperature, Vibrate, squeezing, etc Smell & Taste Expression
Integration	Relation of smart expression and Human emotions : Quality and Quantity Methods Quality method - Expert interview, FGI Quantity method –Sensing data statistic and Analysis, Survey, Questionnaire
Evaluation	Evaluation methodology - Semantic differential , Kano Interpretation, Analysis methodology – correspondence analysis, multiple regression analysis

Table1. Research Areas and related Research issues

5. Present Research Status

5.1. Sensing

There are many studies about human emotions. Thus, it is not easy to form of human emotions and its expression methods. And understanding emotions requires the sensitivity of differences depending on the individual subject’s experiences, educational background, and culture. In this study, among the various forms of human emotions, those that are most fundamental were extracted and by integrating various studies, they were classified into 8 emotions. They are joyful, excited, angry, hateful, sad, surprised, fearful, and shameful.

I have collecting and studied various physical and psychological methods of sensing human emotions.

Fig4. The Representative 8 human emotions

5.2. Actuation

5.2.1. Visual Expression

Firstly, I was focused on visual expression. In general, the colour, textile material, texture, shapes, etc. can be used in visual expressions on the clothing types. I have studied visual expressions on cloth types using chemical and electronic materials for color expression, colour changing, and pattern changing. In the case of colour, there are chemical and electronic materials which can be used in the palette of expression. In particular, the chemical and electronic materials have different characteristics which are summarizes below.

Output

Chemical Effect

Electrical Effect

Expression Color

All Colors

Ink based color

All Colors

Lighting based color

Representative Materials

Thermochromic Ink

UV Ink

LED ,OLED, EL, Luminex

Brightness& Freshness

Mixing – Low Brightness, Low Freshness.

Ink Color

Mixing – High Brightness, High Freshness.

Lighting Color

Advantage

Variable color Expression

Easy to use - Printing and Dyeing Slow, Soft and warm feeling color changing

Washable

Variable color Expression

Easy to change colors

Strong, Fast, and Accurate color changing

Disadvantage

Not accurate color changing and many values

Only Daytime can see

Too strong color -Not easy to match with fabrics

Only Nighttime can see

Can’t wash

Table2. The Comparison of Chemical and Electrical effects

Electrical Method

I have studied electronic materials (El-Wire, El-Stripe, El-Sheet, LEDs, Light fibers, etc) and related H/W materials and their characteristics and based on this researches, I have made some prototypes of electrical visual expressions which led to general findings below.

Expression	Research issues
Color	The Relation of fabric colour and electrical colour – light can effect to fabric color and textures. Color expression – LED can make different colors but EL can’t Color changing expressions Color variation and gradation expressions
Light	Brightness control – EL can control brightness Lighting shapes – dot, line, and plant shapes. Reflection and Illumination materials – make bigger shapes and making different shapes and patterns.
Blinking	The speed of blinking The rhythm of blinking The Dimmer and Brighter expressions
Pattern	The pattern changing using the light Using the shadow and its patterns
Texture	The texture changing using the light Using the shadow and its textures

Table3. The Research issues of Electrical Materials

Fig.5, the test for the relation of fabric characteristics and Electronic Color

Fig.6, The prototype of Blinking Pattern changing Communication –Accessory Bangle type

Fig.7, The prototype of Lighting Shape changing(Animated) Communication –Accessory Wallet type

Fig.8, Light Fabric (light-Fiber & LED- luminex)

Fig.9, Flexible PCB and 1608 LEDs

Fig.10, Concept Flexible Full color LED Panel in Cloth (Developing now)

Fig.11, The prototype of Clothing Shape Changing and Blinking Pattern Changing Communication –Clothing type

I have made some prototypes of garments based on the basic research of the electrictronic materials and their characteristics.

Chemical Method

I have also studied thermochromic ink. Through the careful use of ink, controlling of conductive yarn, and various paint and dye tests, I have learned to control chemical color changing and textile changing relating to expressions on the clothing.

Expression	Research issues
Color	The relation of fabric and thermochromic ink Color changing expressions – changing color levels and speed Color variation and gradation expressions
Sewing	The relation of Sewing method and reaction of color changing Stitch length and gaps Sewing pattern and shapes – machine and hand
Coloring	Painting method – Silk screen and Dyeing Fixing ink on the fabrics Density and washing test
Pattern	The pattern changing using the thermochromic
Texture	The texture changing using the thermochromic Using the brush and other stuff to paint and its textures

Table4. The Research issues of Thermochromic Materials

Fig.12, The Thmochromic Ink application-Painting, dyeing methods

Fig.13, Color variation Test, Fabric test, Conductive yarn Sewing and Color changing test

Fig.14, Test of Color Changing Flower (clothing accessories types-Dyeing Method)

Fig.15, Prototype of Color Changing Flower on the Blouse

Fig.16, Conductive Yarn Sewing and color changing (Printing Test- Silk Screen Method)

5.3. Integration

Smart Visual Expressions and the 8 Basic Human Emotions

I have studied human emotions and human communication. I have extracted eight human basic emotions by integrating these various emotional studies. In addition, I have extracted the psychological and emotional adjectives from the related vocabularies. Similarly, the adjectives and related vocabularies related to the expression from each of the visual language elements of clothing types and materials were gathered. For example, the horizon line means short, broad, quiet, calm. The color red means love, danger, liveliness, activeness. With these basic low-level data, I re-grouped each visual language expression ordering by these eight human basic emotions.

Fig17. The relation of 8 human emotions and visual expression on the clothing types

As I mentioned early, the integration of visual expressions and human emotions were arranged in a matrix for the expression of emotions using light in apparel types. If the user searches for human emotion adjectives, the related expressions for the smart garment are found through this matrix. But, this matrix has very basic data, which needs to be expanded. Mt goal is to find more visual language elements and consider how to represent the changeable and more complex visual language elements.

As I mentioned previously, it is not always appropriate to form one’s emotion as a simple expression. It is very different depending on individual experience, educational experiences, culture, and so on. But this kind of study is needed to pull out the underlying themes and develop the concept design. This matrix and this methodology can provide some guidelines for design and for the development of smart clothing that can express the wearer’s emotions and share the feelings of others with the designer, engineer, and planner.

Fig18. The matrix of the relation of human emotions and visual expressions

Based on this study, I am currently building a web based database system for referencing the relationship of human emotions and various visual expressions on the various clothing types. I will enlarge this to capture the relationship of more smart expressions and human emotions on an ongoing basis.

Fig.19, Database system for relation of human emotions and expressions on the clothing types (Developing now)

My focus is on the relationships of visual expressions and its corresponding human emotions conveyed through clothing and soft fabrics. Based on the 8 human emotions, I will connect the relationships between the human emotions and various visual expressions in clothing and soft fabrics. These relationships will be preserved in the database system to be used as a design resource, illuminating the relationship between human emotion and various expressions.

Fig20. The diagram of the affective wearable soft media

6. Future Research Plan

Sensing Part

- The study on the physical method sensing

- The study on the various sensing methodologies and usages.

- The study on the psychological method sensing

- The study on the various user observation methodologies and usages.

- The study on the human emotion and its measuring

Actuation Part

- The concretization of smart expression elements which are related on five human sensory organs which are visual expression elements, auditory expression elements, etc. For example, visual expression case, the color, texture, pattern, textile, and shape can be used in visual expressions elements.

- As a first step of this research, the smart visual expression will more be focused, and auditory, tangible, and smell & taste will be focused one by one.

- Developing more visual expression modules (color, pattern, textile, texture, and shape changing modules using the chemical, electrical and mechanical materials.) These can be used in clothing types and fabric based interior design elements.

- Finding suitable materials able to be used as smart organic sensors for expression. More flexible, lighter, smaller, and more natural organic sensors, displays, and expressions are to be gathered. Further research of smart materials which are more flexible, lighter, and smaller.

- Visual Expression Textile and Pattern Expression:

Through changeable color expressions, conduct research into changeable textiles and pattern changing of fabric and soft displays on clothes and fabric based elements. I endeavor to make textiles which enable dynamic changes in the women’s hand bag and men’s neck tie. This can be applied to other accessories as well using the pattern changing textile that is controllable by the user so that it can be changed according to the wearer’s environment, social occasion, and purpose.

- Visual Expression Shape Expression:

I endeavor to make shape changing expressions for soft and ambient displays. This includes shape changing cloth for example, the increasing volume of a dress or the dynamically changing skirt shape using electronic materials.

Integration and Evaluation

- The study on the methodology of relationships between human emotion and various expressions.

- The study on the quality method about the integration of human emotion and various expressions and The study on the quantity method about the integration of human emotion and various expressions

- The development and creation of prototypes

- The study on the methodology of emotional evaluation

- The evaluation of sensing of human emotion and actuation of smart expressions

- The evaluation of integration of the relationship of human emotions and smart expressions.

- Implementation of the database system (web-based) that can provide the relationships of human emotions and variable expressions, for example, if users search the human emotion ‘happy’ in this system, they can see the related emotional keywords of happy and happy colors, shapes, patterns, and textiles.

Related Research Part

- Developing the reasonable usage scenarios and prototypes that can be used in actual clothing and real world applications through the extracting of user needs in clothing communication and ambient communication.

Huggy Pajama

2008-03-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

Huggy Pajama - a novel wearable system that promotes physical interaction in remote communication between parents and children by enabling each to hug one another through a novel hugging interface device and a wearable hug reproducing jacket connected through the Internet. This is combined with color changing cloth to express physical distance, or emotional communications, between parent and child. I am researching User research part and Color Changing module part and Prototype Design part also.

With You

2008-03-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

With You - Communication is one of the most fundamental need and desire of humans. The advent of Internet, broadband, and mobile devices allows remote communication, even while on the move, however we can have a lack of understanding of real feeling of the partner by simple video, sound or text. In human communications, body gestures, and touch can sometimes more deeply explain the intended mind and provide intrinsic information. We also express our personality, occupations, surrounding circumstances through our clothings and apparels. Ambient clothing communication to express love and delicate human communication and context using electronic and chemical materials embedded in clothes. For example, according to the wearer’s heart beats, the light patterns of apparel type are changed and according to the wearer’s emotional status, the color and pattern of the apparel are changed. "With you " is Concept Ideas of Clothing Communication using the light pattern changing and color changing and shape changing for sharingemotion and information between wearer and other People. For More Detail Information >>

For More Detail Concept works Information >>

"With You" Concept Idea

"With You" Concept Explanation (Korean and English Scripts)

Media

"Digital Art Technology show" (broken video link)
Channel Asia Dec. 05, 2008

The Strait Times Jan 24,2008

ZDnetAisa.com Feb 02,2008

The Strait Times Apr. 14,2008

Yongsoon Choi

2008-03-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yongsoon Choi
Ph.D Research Scholar

Keio-NUS Cute Center(2F), Keio University Graduate School of Media Design4-1-1 Hiyoshi Kohoku-ku Yokohama, Japan 223-8521

Tel : (+81) (0)45 564 2533(JP), (+65) 6516 5951(SG)
Mobile: (+65) 9335 9100
Email: goodsoon96@gmail.com @mixedrealitylab.org @cutecenter.org @kmd.keio.ac.jp
MSN : goodsoon96@hotmail.com
Skype : goodsoon96
GoogleTalk : goodsoon96@gmail.com

Biography

YongSoon Choi, PhD research scholar of the graduate school of media design of Keio University in Japan, is doing NEC Kitchen media project (with NEC), and he is working on Keio-NUS CUTE center that is operated by the National University of Singapore (NUS) with Keio University as a research of interaction designer.
He was a researcher of Interaction design in Mixed Reality Lab (www.mixedrealitylab.org) in National University of Singapore and he was researching Fashion Communication media, Huggy Pajama project and contributed other many lab projects.
He received his B.A. in Fashion Design from the Design College of Kookmin University in Seoul, Korea, and subsequently M.A. in Interactive Design from the Graduate School of Techno Design of Kookmin University. Fluent in interactive design, YongSoon has worked on a variety commercial projects of web programming & User Interface design in YEScomm (IBM Korea CRM CTI solution provider) and He was also involved 3D Motion GUI in DTV project (with Samsung Electronic), Developing Home Network Service Scenario in the integration Middleware Platform project (with ETRI) and Digital Mirror and Auditory User Interface projects (with ICU) as a Interaction designer and project planner.

He studied and wrote several International papers that are related on user friendly wearable interface and wearable interactions. And he attended and invited several exhibitions with his concept designs of wearable interaction and interfaces. His current interests and research are affective wearable communication media, emotiaonla communication using food and fashion and wearable interaction & interfaces and now he is focusing on the emotional media that can concey human emotions to express human's natural and variable emotional expressions subconciously.

Research Area
Emotional communication, Affective wearable communication media, Wearable interaction & interface, Soft feeling communication media, Memorable interaction, Food media and creative leap for digital kids.

Publication & Talk

Oct.10 Yongsoon Choi, Cheok, A.D., et.al., Flavor visualization: Taste guidance in co-cooking system for coexistence, Mixed and Augmented Reality - Arts, Media, and Humanities (ISMAR-AMH), 2010 IEEE International Symposium On, E-ISBN: 978-1-4244-9341-8, 53 - 60

Jan.10 "Food media" Bar Camp in Yokohama

Nov.09 "Empathic Clothing media" Bar Camp in Seoul (invited with full supports)

Oct.09 Talk2myshirt.com (http://www.talk2myshirt.com/blog/archives/2864)

Oct.09 Talk2myshirt.com (http://www.talk2myshirt.com/articles/entry/Meaningful-wearable-electronics-interview-with-Yongsoon-Choi)

Sep.09 Wei Liu, Keng Soon Teh, Roshan Lalintha Peiris, Yongsoon Choi, Adrian David Cheok, Charissa Mei Ling Lim, Yin Leng Theng, Ta Huynh Duy Nguyen, Tran Cong Thien Qui, Athanasios V. Vasilakos: Internet-Enabled User Interfaces for Distance Learning. IJTHI 5(1): 51-77

Jun.09 Teh, James Keng Soon, Cheok, Adrian David, Choi, Yongsoon, Fernando, Charith Lasantha, Peiris, Roshan Lalintha and Fernando, Owen Noel Newton (2009): Huggy pajama: a parent and child hugging communication system. In: Proceedings of ACM IDC09 Interaction Design and Children 2009. pp. 290-291.

Sep.08 Adrian David Cheok, Owen Noel Newton Fernando, Imiyage Janaka Prasad Wijesena, Abd-ur-Rehman Mustafa, Ramkumar Shankar, Anne-Katrin Barthoff, Naoko Tosa, Yongsoon Choi, Mayank Agarwal: BlogWall: Social and Cultural Interaction for Children. Adv. Human-Computer Interaction 2008:

Aug.08 Adrian D. C., Owen N. N. F., Janaka P. W., Abd-ur-Rehman M., Anne-Katrin B., Naoko T., Yongsoon C., Mayank A.,BlogWall: Social and Cultural Interaction for Children, Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, Int. Journal of Advances in Human-Computer Interaction (Special Issue on Interactive Play and Learning for Children), Hindawi Publishing Corporation (Journal)

Jun.08 James KS Teh, Adrian David Cheok, Roshan Peiris, Yongsoon Choi, Thuong Vuong, Sha Lai, Chin Loyyong,"Huggy Pajama: A Mobile Parent and Child Hugging Communication Systems", Interaction Design and Children 2008,USA

Mar.08 Yongsoon Choi, Jihong jeung, Younghwan Pan, Adrian David Cheok,"Interface Design Using Clothing FastenerS for Functional Separation, combination, and manipulation of Wearable Systems", Human Factor in telecommunication 2008, Malaysia, ISBN:978-983-3927-72-2

Nov.07 Adrian David Cheok, Owen Noel Newton Fernando, Janaka Prasad Wijesena, Abd-ur-Rehman Mustafa, Anne-Katrin Barthoff, Naoko Tosa, Yongsoon Choi, Mayank Agarwal,"BlogWall: Social and Cultural Interaction for Children", Advances in Human-Computer Interaction (Journal)

Oct.07 James KS Teh, Adrian David Cheok, Roshan Peiris, Thuong Vuong, Sha Lai, Yongsoon Choi,"Novel interfaces for social and tangible interaction between remote persons",International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality 2007, Japan

Sep.07 Yongsoon Choi, Younghwan Pan, Jihong Jeung, “A Study on the Emotion Expression Using Lights in Apparel types ”, Mobile HCI 2007, Singapore, ISBN: 978-1-59593-862-6

Sep.07 Yongsoon Choi, Juyong Kim, Jihong Jeung, “The Considerable Elements of Interaction Design Using Lights in Apparel”, Mobility and service 2007, Singapore, ISBN: ACM 978-1-59593-819-0

Jul.07 YongSoon Choi, JuYong Kim, JaeKi Kyoun, Duk Hyun, Jihong Jeung ,“A Study on the Expression of Emotions using Lights in Apparel Types”, ISUVR2007, Korea

May.07 Yongsoon Choi, Jihong Jeung “The Elements of Interaction Design to Express the Wearer's Emotions using Lights in the Cloth.”, Korea society of Design Science, Korea

May.07 Juyong Kim, YongSoon, Choi, Jihong Jeung, “ A Study on the Applying to moving typography in Short Message Communication” , Korea society of Design Science, Korea

Feb.07 Yongsoon Choi, Jihong Jeung “A Study on Wearable Computer Interface for Multi-Functional Detachment/ Combination/ Operation - Based on Making Concept Design to use the Cloth Fastener” , HCIKorea, Korea

Nov.06 Yongsoon Choi, Jihong Jeung “A Study on the Wearable Computer Interface Design Using Cloth Fastening System”, Korean Institute of Next Generation Computing, Korea

Oct.06 Yongsoon Choi, Jihong Jeung “A Study on the Cloth Fastening System for Wearable Computing Interface”, Korea society of Design Science, Korea

Aug.06 Yongsoon Choi, Yoonsun Hwang, Duk Hyun, Chanpio Park, Jihong Jeung “A Study on AUI Handling of Digital Information on Digital Mirror”, ISUVR2006, China

Aug.06 Jieun Jung, Jaegi Kyoen, Yongsoon Choi, Jihong Jeung “A Study on Comparison of Viewpoint between users and developers for Home Network(based on contents of interview), ISUVR2006, China

Jul.06 Yeonjung Soh, Wonsik Hahm, Yongsoon Choi, Heaju Choi, Jihong Jeung “A Study on Digital Mirror User Interface “, SIGRAPH 2006 Poster Session, USA

May.06 Wonsik Hahm, Yongsoon Choi, YeonJeung Soh, Jihong Jeung “ A Study on User Interface of Digital mirror- based on distance”, Korea society of Design Science, Korea

Jan.06 Jaegi Kyoen, Yongsoon Choi, Juyong Kim, Jihong Jeung “A Study on Comparison of Viewpoint between users and developers for Home Network “, HCIKorea, Korea

Oct.05 Donghun Lee, Juyong Kim, Yongsoon Choi, Sejin Lee, Jihong Jeung “A Study on the Extraction of User mental model about motion for Development of 3D Motion GUI and User Interface Application ”, Korea society of Design Science, Korea

Exhibition
July 10, Poetry Mix-up, Art center Nabi, Seoul, Korea (invited with full supports)

Jan, 08, i-Jam Exhibition " Wearable and Fashion Communication",Singapore

Dec, 07, Digital Art technology show " with you",Singapore - Clothing interaction and communication works

Feb, 07, Human Computer Interaction Exhibition"Wearable Interaction and communication Concept", Korea - Clothing interaction and communication works

Nov, 06, Next Generation Computing show, "With you", Korea - Clothing interaction and communication works

Nov, 03, Graduate Fashion Show " Converting", Korea- Tuck design clothing works

Published Researches (please refer published papers)

- Sound Perfume II: Fashion accessory networks based on mobile phone for self-functional coordination

- Sound Perfume I: memoral interaction using sound and fragrance wearable media

- Sound Perfume I: augmenting impressions using cross-modal expressions

- Empathy Fashion media for encouraging emotional relationships

- Flavor Visualization for Co-cooking

- Food Media

- Emotion expression using Lights on clothing

- User behavior analysis on wearable