bachelor of design computing & master of interaction design and ...

Ka Yu LI (MeL)
[M]ushion, 2011
Device Studio: Mushion, Arduino and Pillow.
Have you ever experienced the hard feelings and
diculties of a long distance relationship?
When I was devising my concept, I thought
from the user’s perspective. I considered what
I wanted to get from this device in order to
overcome the hard feelings and diculties from
a long distance relationship as the user. Then I
think of my own experiences, a situation where
I really missed my beloved, and wanted to hug
him. Unfortunately he is not at my side. I try to
recall the feeling when I hug him – I hear his
heartbeats. Therefore I created [M]ushion, which
stands for [My] cushion – private, unique and
special. M also stands for [miss].
Where: two dierent locations.
Who: two human beings, one at each location.
What: a pair of cushions; when both sides users
hug [M]ushion at the same time, the users will
hear the sound of heartbeats coming through
from the cushion.
[M]ushion cannot communicate complex
languages, but the users could express the
feeling of miss and love to their beloved.
[M]ushion is not a medicine that saves you
from homesickness, but it’s like a vitamin,
that helps provide relief from your symptoms
of homesickness.
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