Team: Chrisoula Kapelonis, Jiabao Li, Kristin Osiecki, Julia Rue
People across cultures connect over coffee. It is often the catalyst that brings people together. But in America, coffee tends to be “on the go” and consumed alone. But what if you still wanted to enjoy the company of another while “on the go”? How can we experience the presence of another in the ritual of coffee drinking without them physically being there?
Cafe au Connexion is a pair of coffee cups that allow the users to be aware of each other’s presence while still maintaining the quiet of being by yourself.
The design is a pair of digitally connected coffee cups that allow the users to see touch interaction the other person is having with the cup. This creates the illusion that the other user is there without physically being present.
Touch input and outputs:
- Blowing into one cup causes ripples in the other cup.
2. Touching the body of one cup causes a light imprint on the other cup.
The users become aware of each other, and in effect, are enjoying a cup of coffee together.