SmartWig: Wig-based Wearable Computing Device for Communication and Entertainment

Hiroaki Tobita

Sony Computer Science Laboratory Paris Paris, France

tobby@csl.sony.fr

Takuya Kuzi University of Electro-Communications

Tokyo, Japan quzi@vogue.is.uec.ac.jp

ABSTRACT We have developed a unique wearable wig-based computing device. Our device looks natural and enhances users’ activities and appearance. Previous wearable computing research has mainly focused on how to provide effective computational functions for users. However, the researchers have not taken appearance into account, so users who wear them usually looks strange when in public. Thus, these devices have not been used practically. To make wearable computing look more practical, we believe appearance is one of the most important elements, so we enhanced both function and appearance to create a practical wearable computing device. Wigs have several advantages. For instance, they have enough space to put wearable sensors inside them and head area is very sensitive even to weak feedback. Also, wig technology has developed to the point where wigs can look very similar to real hair. In this paper, we describe our computational wig, focusing on the implementation and applications.

Categories and Subject Descriptors H 5.2 [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: User Interfaces—Interaction styles, User-centered design

General Terms Design, Experimentation, Human Factors

Keywords Wearable computing, stylish appearance, wig device, interactive system, sensing, navigation, presentation.

INTRODUCTION The continuous improvements in both software and hardware have led to the development of wearable computing. There is a wide variety of wearable computing devices, such as computational glasses, clothes, shoes, and so on [2, 3, 5, 6, 7]. These devices differ from laptop and desktop PCs, because users can wear them and they detect several types of information that users want or need. Thus, users can easily communicate with a computer and a wide variety of sensors through the wearable device for information retrieval, navigation, lifelogging, healthcare, and so on. The devices enhance users’ activities in both indoor and outdoor environments, so the devices are effective for entertainment and communication. Also, a simple microprocessor

and programming tool that enable beginners to create devices simply and easily have been released, so people can attach sensors onto their clothes without soldering. However, most wearable devices have become neither common nor popular.

We think one of the biggest reasons is the style. For example, although some research has focused on head-mounted devices such as a head mounted projector and display, the focus has been function, not style. The devices look unusual, so users that wear them in public areas look somewhat strange [4]. Some devices have sensors that are put into the user’s body (under the skin) such as in an arm or the back of the head [1]. This approach looks natural, because the devices are hidden and invisible. Thus, the user looks much more natural than he/she does when wearing conventional wearable computing devices. However, these devices are not practical, because they are very dangerous for users’ health and are very painful to insert into someone’s body. Therefore, it is easy to see why many potential users will avoid choosing these approaches.

Figure 1. Many classical composers like Bach wore wigs in their portraits (left). Cosplayers use wigs to make themselves look like their favorite comic and animation characters (right).

Therefore, we have attempted to create a unique, wearable, wig-based device. Wigs have a long history and have become more and more natural looking. For instance, many classical composers like Bach wore wigs in their portraits (Fig. 1 (left)). However, they have so far been paid little attention in HCI research. Our goal is to create a device that is more practical and wearable than conventional wearable computing approaches. To realize our goal, we use wigs because they have several advantages.

First is the natural appearance. As sensors are hidden in the back of the wig and are not visible, the user can wear the wig device while looking natural. Second, a wig covers the entire head, which is enough space to set sensors. The sensors are set on the

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peripheral area of the head, so the system can detect a wide variety of information. Also, the head area is more sensitive than other body parts such as a foot or waist, so users can react immediately even if the system gives them week feedback. Moreover, our device just covers the head, so it can be combined with other wearable devices such as computer glasses or a smartphone. Finally, to make wearable devices popular, we believe the device should be a kind of fashion item like NIKE+, which combines shoes with a sensor. Wigs are useful to enhance a user’s appearance and change others’ impressions, because different hairstyles give different impressions. Thus, many people use wigs. For instance, in films, plays, and TV programs, actors commonly use wigs to play different roles. Also, many cosplayers (costume players: a form of role-play) [10] wear wigs and costumes to imitate their favorite characters in comics and animated films (Fig. 1 (right)). In both cases, users wear wigs to enhance their appearance. In addition, a wide variety of wigs is manufactured and produced, so users can change the wig style (i.e., its shape and color) depending on their situation and needs.

In this paper, we introduce our wearable device, called SmartWig, focusing on implementation and applications such as sensing, navigation, and presentation wigs. Our contribution is threefold. Firstly, we introduce the design and architecture of natural and practical wearable device. Secondly, we present three applications based on the design Thirdly, we discuss the advantage and disadvantage through our experimentations.

SMARTWIG The goal of SmartWig is to achieve both natural and practical wearable devices. Our SmartWig that integrates computational functions with wig has the following three features.

1. Natural Appearance: Several sensors are set in the back of the wig, so the user’s appearance stays natural.

2. Sensitive Area: The head is more sensitive than a foot or waist, so users can feel feedback even if it is weak and is received less shock and damage comparing hand and foot.

3. Enhance Impression: Users can instantly change the impression their appearance gives just by changing the wig shape and color.

Figure 2 (1) shows an overview of our SmartWig device. As you can see in Fig 2 (2), there is enough space in the back of the wig. Thus, we can set a wide variety of sensor modules such as buttons, a microcomputer, Wi-Fi, and battery modules in this space. Figure 2 (3) shows several sensors set in the wig. Although the sensors are set, they are covered and hidden by the wig. As a result, the sensor is not seen (Fig. 2 (4, 5)) and user’s appearance keeps natural even if wearing devices. As there are a wide variety of wigs and sensors, users can freely select different combinations of wigs and sensor modules to suit their particular situation. They can also use a different wig with the same sensors. For example, at a formal party or in a restaurant, a user should select a formal wig. In contrast, for a more casual occasion, he/she can use a wig that is a more vivid color and has a more striking shape, like cosplayers.

The system is divided into three parts: sensor, microcontroller, and PC. Our wig system contains several sensors that are connected to the microcontroller. The microcontroller communicates with the PC through Wi-Fi. The PC works as the server and can combine with other client devices such as smartphone and PDA, so the SmartWig system can communicate with such devices to treat database and visualization tools.

Figure 2. SmartWig Overview. The device contains a simple button, microcomputer, GPS, Wi-Fi unit, and battery modules (3). It communicates with the main computer through the network. Sensors are perfunctory hidden without changing appearance (4, 5).

Figure 3. System Overview: Our wig system contains sensors that are connected with microcontroller. The microcontroller can communicate with PC through Wi-Fi.

Navigation Wig Next, we introduce two applications based on our SmartWig system. The first application is for location awareness, named navigation wig. The system supports the location awareness with intuitive feedback by using vibration motor.

Figure 4. Navigation Wig. Several sensors such as GPS, vibration motor, and electric compass are set on the back of the wig (top). In this application, six vibration motors are set under the wig (bottom).

The system configuration is shown in Figure 4 (top). Several sensors such as GPS, ultrasonic sensor, and vibration motor are connected microcontroller and information from the microcontroller is transmitted to the PC by xBee module. The server PC knows both user’s position and location information, so the user can receive intuitive feedback when he/she takes wrong path to the destination. Figure 4 (bottom) shows the layout of vibration motors. These motors are generally used for a cellar phone, so the vibration is not strong. The rotation per minute (rpm) of the motor is 13000, and we can control the motor with analog values (from 1 to 255 levels) and the vibration pattern. In our current prototype, six vibration motors are set in the back of the wig (e.g., forward (1), backward (5), left (3), right (2), upward (4) and downward (6) of the head). Although navigation systems based on vibration motors have been widely introduced [3, 7], our focus area is the head. The head is very sensitive to feedback, so users can sense the feedback even if it is weak. Also, the system contains two extra motors set on upward (4) and downward (6) of the wig, so it allows users to navigate up and down stairs. In addition, onto the upward (4) and backward (5) positions, ultrasonic sensor is attached. A user receives vibration feedback if there are some obstacles in his back or above his head.

Presentation Wig Needless to say, in a presentation, the speaker’s physical appearance is an important element, so our SmartWig also works effectively for presentations. The wig contains buttons and is connected to a computer, so it can be used not only to enhance appearance but also to control a computer. Generally, people use a simple pointing device or a remote controller. Our wig contains these control units inside itself, so users can manipulate the presentation computer simply by touching the wig. Although presentations are one of the most important elements in modern business, the style has not undergone any significant changes. Our system provides original hardware to enhance presentations.

Figure 5. Presentation Wig. Users can move forward or backward through presentation slides by pushing the sideburns (1, 2). A laser pointer is also mounted onto the forehead (3). Users can give their presentation without touching a PC keyboard or mouse.

Figure 5 shows how to give the presentation with the wig. In this case, there are two buttons under the sideburns (Fig. 5 (1, 2)), and the buttons are connected to the computer through the network. The left sideburn moves the presentation slide forward while the right one moves them back. Thus, users can control the presentation slides simply by natural behavior like touching sideburns. Also, there is a laser pointer on the forehead to point out relevant information on the projected slide (Fig. 5 (3)). A mouse pointer is set on the back of the head (Fig. 5 (4, 5)), so users can control the computer remotely and move around freely.

DISCUSSION We have demonstrated our system several times in meetings with colleagues. In this section, we discuss the comments and reactions of our audience members.

We gave several presentations using the SmartWig in both casual and formal environments. In the casual presentations, the wig received very good reactions because the presenter’s appearance was quite interesting since audience members knew his/her normal appearance. Thus, the gap between normal and wig-wearing appearances was fun. Moreover, in the formal presentations, by using the wig, the atmosphere during the presentation was warm, and audience was more interested in the wig than the presentation contents. In both cases, the appearance of the presenter with the wig had a strong impact. However, our current prototype did not look natural enough according to the audience, so we intend to

improve its appearance. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of the presenters, they commented that they could give their presentation with different a character and mindset. As a result, the presenter was not nervous, but relaxed. We think his/her feeling is similar to an actor who plays different characters in movies and plays. Generally, in presentations, many people use the same software (e.g., PowerPoint and Keynote), so presentation formats and visualization methods are almost always the same. Also, hardware to enhance presentations is simple and quite limited. Many people use simple hardware such as a laser pointer and a small controller to manipulate presentation slides. This is just a tool to support computer manipulation, so it is not really useful in terms of producing an effective presentation.

Another design issue is that the head is more sensitive than a foot or waist. In our navigation wig demonstration, all of the people could feel the feedback and find which motor works clearly. Also, several location services that provide actual location information through Wi-Fi technology have been developed. Our system used six vibration motors for every direction. Especially, two feedback motors for upward and downward were received good reactions, because these two motors were really unique and are able to navigate users up and down stairs. On the other hand, after experiencing the system, some people said that they felt vibration feedback was not painful but was a little troublesome, because the head is very sensitive. Although we can make the vibration feedback weaker, it is necessary to personalize the feedback strength. On the other hand, head area received less shock than other body parts such as hand and foot in daily life, because the area has little opportunities to touch objects. Thus, the system can avoid breaking down by colliding with other objects, so the user can work the system sustainably.

Moreover, it is possible to use our SmartWig for communication. We can attach a small vide camera onto the system and the system can contain Wi-Fi modules, so a remote user can send vibration commands through the network by checking video camera images. The remote user can navigate the wig user manually to the destination. The remote user can control a wig user with forward, backward, right, and left commands. Moreover, if another user wears another SmartWig system, SmatWig-to-SmartWig communication is possible like the InTouch system [9]. If one user touches one of his/her vibration motors, the other user’s equivalent motor vibrates.

Some people asked the differences between using this technology with a cap instead of a wig. Our approach is useful not only for wigs but also caps and other types of hats [11, 12]. In an outdoor environment, a cap may be better than SmartWig. However, a cap looks strange in a formal indoor situation like at restaurant or a formal party. Therefore, we think our implementation can also be used in hats as well as wigs.

Also, wig technology improves year after year, and many companies manufacture and release new products, so wigs can be expected to look almost the same as natural hair in the near future, so we believe that wig has huge potential as a wearable device. Some people wear wigs to disguise the fact that they are bald. By using a wig, their appearance is dynamically changed. However, they cannot be sure how other people see their hair. Our SmartWig contains sensors like a camera and electric compass, so the user can retrieve such information and know whether the wig is in the right place or not. In addition, wigs are worn by individuals who are experiencing hair loss due to medical reasons. For instance, people who use an anticancer drug often use wigs, because hair

loss is a side effect. For them, healthcare is also probably more important than appearance. We think SmartWig works for both appearance and healthcare simultaneously.

Finally, although our wig contains sensors, users cannot control the shape. We think that combining artificial muscle and the wig would be very useful. Artificial muscle looks like hair, so it useful for hair extensions and fake mustaches. If a user is excited, the hair dynamically changes. Thus, by using our wig, the user’s appearance becomes more dynamic. Also, our device covers the entire head, so it can be combined with brain waves like in the work of Wolpaw et al. [8]. In such a combination, the system can provide interactions that are more natural.

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE WORKS In this paper, we described the prototype of our SmartWig system, which is a unique wearable wig-based device. We described the concept to provide both function and appearance. We discussed three types of potential application: sensing, navigation, and presentation wigs.

We are planning to develop the application focusing on life logging. Life logging is a popular way to record your daily activities. Our smart wig can detect both human and environment information by using several sensors mounted to the wig device.

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