This is an interaction project that takes the most precious memory from Earth.
We focused on the interaction to remind extremely personal yet relatable moment with the lover.

Flutter was inspired by the memory of sitting on a bench
and stroking lover’s hand while cherry blossoms flutter.

We focused on how to retrieve the moment of ‘the cherry blossom falling’
for a person who is left alone in the next universe.

Scene #1
Left behind alone in the next universe, a man is sitting alone on the bench suffered from loneliness.
He is fantasizing about his old memories, sitting next to his lover on a bench, touching hands.

Scene #2
While he savors the smooth surface of the input interface, the piezo sensor detects his touch and
activates the vibration module and heat film to simulate the heartbeat and the warmth of the lover’s hand.

Scene #3
After few seconds of delay to enjoy, interaction occurs between input and output.
DC motors in the ouput on the wall operate, causing the cherry blossom petals to flutter.

Scene #4
Getting snowed with falling cherry blossoms, he recalls the old memories with his lover.
He can focus on the touchings of the petals on his face as if she came back and touching him.

Mechanism

1. Piezo buzzer detects the touch of stroking.
2. Heat film gets hot.
3. Vibration module operates heartbeat.
4. DC motor blows the cherryblossom petals.

We were concerned about the method to deliver the situation we wanted. We tried to set our input as a signifier giving you affordance to touch. We selected warmth and pulse as an output from the input device to our hand. When it is touched, the interation occurs in the output device. The piezo buzzer in the input detects the touch and the heat film and vibration sensor operate. And then the DC motor operates and the cherry blossoms fall as the output.

Output Study 1 - Interaction of various senses

We needed some breeze to make a flutter, so we built some DC motors
which are activated by a pressure sensor. We used these DC motors later,
but we couldn’t use the pressure sensor, because it couldn’t detect the
touch in the input device because of the thickness.

To simulate the heartbeat from the input device, we built some vibration
modules. We reproduced the pulse with High & Low signals, and we also
tried to make it beat faster or harder when you hold it.

To convey the warmth of touch while touching it, we built the heat film.
We made the input surface thin to conduct warmth well and found the best temperature suits with human warmth.

Output Study 2 - Cherry blossom fluttering

We showed the fluttering moments through the wearable device. But it was hard to adjust the angle with proper fallings, so we needed the impact with broader ouput.

We made a cylinder to fly the petals in it, but it gathered so well and didn’t float well. We needed some more powerful DC motors.

We used servo motors to drop the petals
but, they gathered and fell off too directly.
We couldn’t feel any mood in here.

With all those studies above, we concluded that we should make it scatter from above through strong DC motors to take a moment we wanted. So, we designed the wall-mounted device with an air duct and made an airflow and angle of fluttering as we imagined.

Input Study 1 - How to take the lover's hand back

Embodied situation of brushing & holding hands together by using the
ultrasonic sensor. If your hand gets close to the clay hand, it moves
because of the servo motor, and it touches your hand. You can grab
the hand and feel the purse through the vibration.

We planned to reappear a ticklish romance by approaching hand behind
from curtain. It has strong signifier to touch, but the unnatural interaction
occurred because of it's real form & awkward posture.

Made clay models that trigger user’s desire to touch and induce rubbing
interaction naturally.

Input Study 2 - Affordance Form

We tried many variations of input device. Although it doesn't resemble hands, we designed a soft and touching curve so that the form itself serves as a signifier. As a result, the device has an affordance that the user desire to stroke gently.

Process