cubble’s hybrid approach establishes a continuous, bidirectional, exclusive and private channel for couples via light, vibration and heat. Depending on client activity logs, the
messages are received on either the home or mobile client. cubble provides three message types. (1) “Nudge” is a short emotional ping from a partner. It consists of a color, which is selected by touching the sides of the hardware or according buttons of the mobile interface. It is sent by a single tap on the hardware’s front or mobile device’s screen and received as a single color flash (matching the color previously
determined by the sender) and a simple vibration. (2) “Tap patterns” offer a more diverse exchange and the creation of private languages. They are presented as repeated light bursts and vibrations in the rhythm as entered. (3) “Holding hands” creates a live connection as both partners touch cubble at the same time, resulting in a yellow pulsation and a warming-up of the clients.
Source: Kowalski, R., Loehmann, S., Hausen, D. 2013 cubble: A Multi-Device Hybrid Approach Supporting Communication in Long-Distance Relationships. In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interaction, ACM Press, 201-204
http://mediainformatics.wordpress.com/2013/01/02/cubble-multi-device-assistance-for-emotional-closeness-and-communication-in-relationships-over-a-distance/
