Teasing people is part of a natural human behaviour, it bonds people together and creates a sort of "home-ly" feeling. Good teasing, of course, can help with an individual growth whereas bad teasing, which could also be classified as 'bullying', will ultimately have negative impacts. Although not made into a huge deal, humans actually require physical contact and comfort in order to be re-connected with their emotions and other attributes that basically makes us all... human.
The project
This interactive installation represents the missing interpersonal relationships we are missing in our day to day lives. It contains a series of mechanical body parts that visitors can touch, scratch, scratch, whisper or squeeze, creating different reactions from the installation.
The process
For the project, we worked with arduinos and the programming language Python. We started building in school, where the idea was first conceived. Testing out with just the sensors and screens, we filmed the recordings of the humans before programming the sensors to the right reactions. We also had to order the silicon parts (ear, hand and foot) before assembling them to the poles and wires.
Once the stress testing in school was done, we started moving to the Art Science Museum (ASM) in Singapore, where our installation was going to be placed in the Human+ exhibition, an exhibition which showcases the interactivity of humans and technology, with some examples being biohacking. Moving to ASM, we started to build up the product and testing it immediately.
Weeks of stress-testing later and issues later, the exhibition was open to public.
challenges faced
Initially, the body parts were left exposed (as seen in picture) for the public to interact with. However, what we failed to consider was people being overly rough with our installation, which led to a lot of pulled out limbs or ripped ears. We eventually overcame this issue by building an acrylic box around the parts (picture not included), limiting the user's touch. This however, required us to heighten the sensitivity of the sensors in order for the installation to work.
Most users did not know that there was a camera and screen at the back of the installation (we probably hid the camera too well...) and therefore the full intention of the installation was not completed. We resolved this by simply putting a sign in front and encouraging the users to "take a peek at the back".
In a team of 3 and a lecturer, my 2 friends ended up having to serve compulsory service at the Army, which left me alone in maintaining the installation. This was impossible, as the programming and wiring had to be done INSIDE the installation, which was a thin box and someone was required to stand outside to refresh and check. Eventually, it came down to my lecturer and I, and we ended up maintaining the installation by ourselves for a couple of months till the exhibition ended.
My role
Brought into the project with one month before its launch, my job was to learn and figure out the programming, as it was declared before the exhibition start that I would have to be the one maintaining it, possibly alone.
My role in this project was the UX researching, staying in the museum till from before opening till late after closing, watching and observing how the museum goers interact with our installation and drawing our their user behaviours in order to improve the whole experience. I also did the programming and maintaining of the installation afterwards.
After interacting with the body parts and having a response from the screen their reaction is captured on the other side being unknown to them. When they realised what has happened they realise they had actually Teased themselves.
In partnership with Art Science Museum Singapore, this is a playful and whimsical interactive installation that explores interpersonal relationships between human and technology. It has a series of mechanical body parts that visitors can touch, scratch, pinch or squeeze - eliciting different reactions from the installation.