Project

Monkey Business

Monkey Business is a system to keep distributed members of a group aware of each other�s presence and activities in a light-hearted manner, while striving to remain non-intrusive. The system also aims to facilitate unplanned and informal communication among distributed colleagues. It consists of a network of animatronic agents, specifically monkeys, which are situated in the offices or rooms of each member of a group. Through subtle movements, gestures, and sounds, the monkeys indicate the current activities of the other members of the group. The monkeys are meant to be ambient, at the periphery of one�s attention; but they can also be used more proactively as communication mechanisms, and promote informal exchanges among members of a distributed team.