Document Type
Event
Start Date
28-4-2022 5:00 PM
Description
This project investigates how haptics is currently being used to enable remote intimacy. Specifically, I attempt to use the MQTT protocol, along with wi-fi/BLE-enabled hardware running on Circuit Python, to replicate a kiss in real-time. Further, the lack of apps and/or tech that’s inclusive the those who feel socially isolated but still yearn for intimacy served as motivation for this research. Primary methods included sentiment analysis done using the Twitter API along with the Textblob Python library based on queries including strings like “hickey” and “sensitive neck.” Moreover, secondary research led us to Kissenger: a product by Emma Y. Zhang that serves as an example of how IoT is currently being used to address remote intimacy. This device, however, doesn’t incorporate pressure/vacuum. My prototype will, as well as enable the transmission of pressure data sans an iPhone, thus adding value to the haptics space. Additionally, setup guides and sample code from Adafruit.com were the basis for constructing the device. Their submodules were integral in composing logical code that handles connecting with and publishing/subscribing data to feeds on io.adafruit.com, Adafruit’s free pub/sub platform. Moreover, the hardware being used in this project includes: two microcontrollers equipped with a wi-fi enabled esp-32 chip, two I2C-capable pressure sensors, two 4.5V DC motors, solenoid air valves and the necessary drivers. Soldering was also required to connect headers to the sensors. But thanks to the QWIIC Connect feature on the Feather S2 mcu, I was able to simply plug in the wires coming from the sensor with little soldering, overall. Ultimately, this project is based on the hypothesis that two wi-fi/BLE-enabled devices can transmit/receive pressure data between one another with the help of a cloud broker. Doing so will mimic the vacuity of kissing and be a step towards the future of telepresence.
Included in
UR-195 - Replicating Touch With MQ Telemetry Transport (MQTT) And Circuit Python: A Case Study of Internet-of-Things (IoT) Application
This project investigates how haptics is currently being used to enable remote intimacy. Specifically, I attempt to use the MQTT protocol, along with wi-fi/BLE-enabled hardware running on Circuit Python, to replicate a kiss in real-time. Further, the lack of apps and/or tech that’s inclusive the those who feel socially isolated but still yearn for intimacy served as motivation for this research. Primary methods included sentiment analysis done using the Twitter API along with the Textblob Python library based on queries including strings like “hickey” and “sensitive neck.” Moreover, secondary research led us to Kissenger: a product by Emma Y. Zhang that serves as an example of how IoT is currently being used to address remote intimacy. This device, however, doesn’t incorporate pressure/vacuum. My prototype will, as well as enable the transmission of pressure data sans an iPhone, thus adding value to the haptics space. Additionally, setup guides and sample code from Adafruit.com were the basis for constructing the device. Their submodules were integral in composing logical code that handles connecting with and publishing/subscribing data to feeds on io.adafruit.com, Adafruit’s free pub/sub platform. Moreover, the hardware being used in this project includes: two microcontrollers equipped with a wi-fi enabled esp-32 chip, two I2C-capable pressure sensors, two 4.5V DC motors, solenoid air valves and the necessary drivers. Soldering was also required to connect headers to the sensors. But thanks to the QWIIC Connect feature on the Feather S2 mcu, I was able to simply plug in the wires coming from the sensor with little soldering, overall. Ultimately, this project is based on the hypothesis that two wi-fi/BLE-enabled devices can transmit/receive pressure data between one another with the help of a cloud broker. Doing so will mimic the vacuity of kissing and be a step towards the future of telepresence.