Reasoning behind the project

As humans, our interactions with others are informed through our understanding of their character. This character is formed and expressed through the behavior of the person. We, humans, tend to have an inherent understanding of human behavior and what it means, behavior expressed through body language, posture, facial expressions, etc. Since machines and digital devices lack this ability, it is not possible to understand them through the same mechanism.

This project explores a possible language of behavior that can be designed into digital devices. It borrows from human body language and posture. Mundane day-to-day objects (in this case, a no smoking signboard) are anthropomorphized and given the ability to sense the environment, process it, and express themselves.

In this specific case, a no-smoking signboard is given the ability to sense people around, their position, and if they are smoking. The character of the sign dislikes smoking and becomes progressively uncomfortable when in an environment with smoke. It then shows the discomfort through its behavior by breathing heavily, staring at smokers, changing the message being displayed to a more direct message, and by moving rapidly and irregularly.