InfoPlant: Multimodal augmentation of plants for enhanced human-computer interaction

Abstract

Abstract-In this work, we present and evaluate a novel ambient information display that is designed to provide unobtrusive yet engaging feedback. The basis of this display is a natural, living plant, which is augmented in several ways to enable it to indicate information in various different ways. We describe the design and the construction of the InfoPlant, discuss its different modalities and present two demonstrator systems, including a novel ecofeedback display. A subsequent study showed that the InfoPlant was indeed perceived as unobtrusive by the large majority of participants and that it was easily accepted as a possible new entity in a living-room context. Also, the provided feedback was assessed as generally very helpful and that it would make users aware of their resource consumption and could have an influence on their consumption behavior.

Interactive Plants: Multisensory Visual-Tactile Interaction Enhances Emotional Experience

“…In our EEG analysis, we examined powers of 8 spectral bands and attention meter, which were collected in Parts 2 and 4 every second (1 Hz). For all band signals, we calculated relative band powers following the procedure adopted by Johnstone et al [27]; we summed the powers of all eight bands-delta (0.5-2.75 Hz), theta (3.5-6.75 Hz), low-alpha (7.5-9.25 Hz), high-alpha (10-11.75 Hz), low-beta (13-16.75 Hz), high-beta (18-29.75 Hz), low-gamma (31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39) and mid gamma (41-49.75 Hz)-and then divided the power for each band by the total, which was expressed as a percentage. Here, we focused on attention meter and relative alpha, beta and theta band powers, which are known to be related to mental workload [31].…”

“…Using capacitive sensing technology, Poupyrev et al [18] developed one of the first interactive plant systems. Since then, several other systems have been developed to study people's engagement in a large-scale installation [19], gaming [21] and eco-feedback [35]. Our interactive plant system is a direct extension of these predecessors.…”

Patterns and Opportunities for the Design of Human-Plant Interaction

“…Other possibilities include the release of chemicals, and color or intentional shape change (e.g., the Boquila trifoliolata vine mimics the leaves of the shrub on which it climbs [54]). In HCI, color change is often harnessed as a signaling or display mechanism [38,113], and has opened up an entire area of exploration concerned with plant-based information displays [4,15,42,49,69,74].…”

Addressing Behavioural Technologies Through the Human Factor: A Review

“…This is the case of InfoPlant, a living plant augmented through technology. This plant was designed to provide unobtrusive feedback and make users aware of their electricity usage [121]. Moreover, Hammerschmidt et al propose using waterdrops falling sounds to inform about resources consumption while taking a shower [122].…”