PlayPals: Tangible Interfaces for Remote Communication and Play (2006)

PlayPals: Tangible Interfaces for Remote Communication and Play

Bonanni, L., Lieberman, J., Vaucelle, C., Zuckerman, O.
MIT Media Lab
amerigo@mit.edu, xercyn@media.mit.edu, cati@media.mit.edu, orit@media.mit.edu

ABSTRACT

PlayPals are a set of wireless figurines with their electronic accessories that provide children with a playful way to communicate between remote locations. PlayPals is designed for children aged 5-8 to share multimedia experiences and virtual co-presence. We learned from our pilot study that embedding digital communication into existing play pattern enhances both remote play and communication.