Project

My Ears Are Burning

We provide a software and hardware toolkit for creating an on-body network of tactile and ambient information accessories, connecting people physically with information accessed via the Internet. My Ears Are Burning uses the toolkit to make a user aware of attention being paid to her online presence. Heating elements placed on the user's ears are activated when, for example, her Web page is accessed or she is tagged in a photograph on Facebook. The toolkit hardware consists of a Bluetooth module outfitted with simple-to-use I/O pins for connecting input sensors and output actuators. The software component resides on a cell phone that acts as a router between the Bluetooth modules and the Internet. This platform is also used for the Proverbial Wallets project.