We lead busy lives: we work different schedules and we live in different timezones. We want to feel connected to our loved ones but sometimes life gets in the way. Pyluglö is a smart pillow designed for modern families, partners and friends who want a simple, seamless way to feel connected to one another.

Pyluglö provides a complementary means of nonverbal communication involving both visual and haptic communication that is specially designed to help friends, partners, and family members feel that they are connected, day in and day out.

THE PROCESS

Pyluglö emerged from hours of brainstorming around the notion that sharing experiences with the people you love the most is one of the most beautiful things in life. However, in this highly globalized world, ever more people find themselves living far away from their loved ones - and while they can always call or text each other, we believe that humans crave more. Communication through touch is incredibly powerful.  We wanted to encourage people to interact with each other at a distance and capture that warmth that comes from direct human contact. 

HOW IT WORKS

Haptic communication and body language is vital to human communication, particularly in conveying the feelings of intimacy common to our relationships with loved ones. Pylugö lets you express your emotions in a much more natural form than screen based technologies. We decided to incorporate into Pyluglö 3 communication levels:

• HELLO: A simple pat along the Pylu's spine can paint a smile in a person's face. Just like when you wave hello to someone.

• THINKING OF YOU: A little more deliberate and intimate, a gentle squeeze on the corner of the Pylu sends a message to someone in your group letting them know you are thinking of them. 

• I MISS YOU: There's nothing like the warm hug of someone you love and care about deeply. But when they are nowhere nearby, you can always hug your Pylu and send a a comforting message.

SET UP

You can set up your Pylu in 3 easy steps. When you receive your pillow, you download the app and register your pillow. Then you join or create a group, and finally you pick the color that will identify you. That way everyone knows which color represents you when they receive a message through the Pylu.

TECHNOLOGY

Pyluglö uses a combination of cellular and internal sensing technologies to facilitate communication within a Pylugröup.

This means that when you send a message using Pyluglö, that message is automatically and instantaneously sent to each member of your Pylugröup. Their Pylu will glow brightly with your message which displays in your color. 

There is always the possibility to retreive the message history on the app.

WHAT'S IN THE PYLU

The prototypes were developed using:

• Electronics: Lilypads as microcontrollers, capacitive touch sensors, soft buttons fabricated from conductive fabric and sponge-like materials.

• Hardware: Buttons to simulate cellular connectivity

• Materials: Pillows, white, feather imitation fabric. 

Project done in collaboration with Kai, Patrick and Tong for UPenn's Contemporary Objects Class. Spring 2015