Skweezee-Mote: A case-study of a gesture-based tangible product design for a television remote control

Abstract

Skweezees are soft objects filled with conductive padding, which are capable of detecting different squeeze gestures using electrodes dispersed all over the object. This paper presents a case-study on the design and development of a tangible product based on the Skweezee system, namely a cushion remote. Squeeze-based gestures for soft user interfaces have rarely been explored. Therefore, we have worked on establishing squeeze-based gestures for a soft cushion interface for controlling a television, by means of a user-centered approach. The user study has brought out appropriate gestures for controlling a cushion remote. A prototype was designed using these gestures. The end result is a cushion remote that uses the Skweezee system and a gesture set for a Skweezee-based cushion remote control.