Wearable technology is often used as a medium to enhance and amplify the senses. Garments capable of monitoring CO2 levels, warn us when air quality reaches dangerous levels. Robotic exoskeletons help those who have lost the ability to walk, to learn how to run again. Technology woven close to the body is typically used to make us superhuman.
But what if technology instead is used to deprive us of our senses? Developed by Eric Siu, Tomohiko Hayakawa, and Carson Reynolds, Touchy: the Human Camera challenges this very paradigm by depriving the user of his sight. The project transforms a human into a camera that can only be actuated by touch.
The mask-like wearable camera contains automatic shutters that open and take a photo when the wearer makes a physical connection with someone.
Touchy provides a social critique of mobile and social networking technologies that allow society to communicate with each other absent of any physical presence.
To learn more, visit touchytouchy.com