3. In part, this is because computers are created to interact
with the human mind, while ignoring the rest of the body.
4. There is an alternative to that called embodied interaction
(Dourish, 2001). In this perspective, humans interact with the
world through the active existence of their bodies in specific
situations, shaped by place, social norms and context.
5. Embodied interaction is a lens to look and to guide the
development of wearable computers (Van Dijk, 2018).
6. This is an abacus ring from ancient China (1616-1911
B.C.), a forerunner of wearable computing.
7. The Pulsar Calculator Watch was the first wearable that
could calculate, yet not compute (1975).
16. A lot of people are not satisfied with their bodies and
they are willing to use technology to change bodies.
17. The body has a biorhythm and a social rhythm which
wearables must fit in (Lefebvre, 2004).
18. Apple Watch still has a lot to improve in this regard
(Giovana Gamboa, 2018).
19. The Human Processor Model (Card, 1981) and its derived models
do not help understanding the human body.
20. Cognitivist body
• A mere physical support
for the mind (Descartes)
• A source of emotions
that distract the mind
(Hobbes)
• A disgusting thing you
cannot fully control
Videodrome (1983)
21. Phenomenological body
• A being that thinks
through the whole body
(Merleau-ponty)
• A political subject
(Foucault)
• A producer of spatial
relationships (Lefebvre)
Existenz (1999)
22. Computers are altering the way we understand and
interact with our world, much like cities did in the past.
23. Everyday activities are increasingly reliant on
computers, however, computer ergonomics is quite bad.
24. We cannot express and share tacit knowledge properly
with computers, like we do in an embodied world.
25. Most of the computer information is conveyed through
sight, thus requiring a lot of attention.
26. The computer reduces the human body to a device with
sight, hearing and touch (O’Sullivan and Igoe, 2004).
27. Even HCI often reduces the body to an abstract user
with no history, no gender, no political views.
28. Embodied Wearable Computing
• Computing power close to
the body
• Applications for specific
situations
• Interfaces that can be
used with peripheral
attention and senses
other than sight
• Personalized experiences
29. Quantified Self Movement: the right to collect, store and
visualize personal data (Feltron Annual Report, 2014).
30. Reporter App: and app to register everything you do in
the way you want.
31. Sleep trackers sometimes make sleep disorder worse by
raising anxiety around the habit (Baron et al, 2017).
42. Design activity has a long history of embodied
interactions in studios (Bauhaus).
43. Theater turn any space into an embodied interaction
design studio (Gonzatto & Van Amstel, 2017).
44. Warm-up exercises
• Theater techniques for warming up the body:
the poitier bear, human knots and make a bus
with human bodies
45. Radical Bodystorming
• Create an wearable device to assist people
with these mental disorders: Amnesia,
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,
Obsessive–compulsive disorder, Dyslexia,
Dyscalculia, Hypochondriasis or Narcolepsy
• Improvise and record the interactions afforded
by the wearable using your bodies
• Device's behavior should be represented by
one or more bodies
46. Prop fiction
• Replace device bodies for props
• Create a stage with the available furniture
• Record a video with a complete use scenario
for the wearable device
47. Thank you!
Frederick van Amstel @fredvanamstel
Architecture and Design School - PUCPR
www.fredvanamstel.com