Chameleon Devices

Abstract

Figure 1. Chameleons are well known for their ability to change the colour of their skin for survival and social signalling [10]. Sometimes this colour change is to indicate aggression towards other animals, or in response to temperature or mood (left); at other times, as in the centre left image shown here, chameleons can match the pattern of their surroundings near perfectly, perhaps to lessen the danger from predators. In this work, we explore how mobile devices might be able to perform the same feat. The centre right image, then, shows a phone placed normally on a table. At right: the same phone blended in to its surroundings, but still able to present social signals to its owner in a subtle manner. ABSTRACTMany users value the ability to have quick and frequent sight of their mobiles when in public settings. However, in doing so, they expose themselves to potential risks, ranging from being targets of robbery to the more subtle social losses through being seen to be rude or inattentive to those around them. In nature, some animals can blend into their environments to avoid being eaten or to reduce their impact on the ecosystem around them. Taking inspiration from these evolved systems we investigate the notion of chameleon approaches for mobile interaction design. Our probes were motivated, inspired and refined through extended interactions with people drawn from contexts with differing ranges of security and privacy concerns. Through deployments on users' own devices, our prototypes show the value of the concept. The encouraging results motivate further research in materials and form factors that can provide more effective automatic plain-sight hiding.

Make Yourself at Phone

“…In many countries, having a mobile phone to-hand makes people feel safer [5]. In other places, however-for instance, in more resource-constrained settings-having a phone on one's person can make someone more of a target for theft [23]. In this work we have developed and explored the concept of separating out notions of data and device.…”

Envisioning the (In)Visibility of Discreet and Wearable AAC Devices

“…These discreet and wearable AAC prototypes have the advantage of being always on, readily available and customisable -without necessarily visibly revealing the underlying disability of the user by 'blending' into clothing -preventing potential unwanted attention and stigmas [56]. Indeed, research has previously considered camouflaging methods for hand-held 'chameleon' devices to limit their visibility [59]. Yet, on the other end of the spectrum, our participants also wanted these AAC prototypes to become socially visible -even becoming public displays of information [58].…”

Charting Subtle Interaction in the HCI Literature

“…However, some publications are especially noteworthy in this context. An example are Chameleon Devices, where approaches for hiding phones in plain sight were investigated [56]. Instead of reducing the intensity of what is shown, the idea here was for the phone to mimic the background and then "employ subtle changes [.…”