Copyright © Françoise Herrmann
With hindsight, perhaps that the only item missing from the pandemic-related, federal government, stimulus programs was the CuteCircuit Hug Shirt™. Designed to provide long-distance hugs, via Bluetooth®-type connection to a mobile device, the Hug Shirt™ would have been the perfect, federally-approved way to connect during the long lockdown period, while complying with all the CDCs’ guidelines for maintaining social distance.
Imagine having received a larger envelope, shirt included! A Hug Shirt™ that would have enabled you to send virtual hugs, replicating your warmth, pressure, duration of embrace and even heartbeat, to a loved one or friend, also wearing another Hug Shirt™! In fact, the army was originally interested in the CuteCircuit Hug Shirt™ as a way of bridging distances and boosting troop morale [US20070063849A1].
Designed by the trailblazing, wearable technology, fashion-brand company, CuteCircuit, founded by Francesca Rosella (Italy) and Ryan Genz (USA), the first 2002 Hug Shirt™, was nominated one of Time Magazine's Best Inventions of the Year, in 2006. Since the first Hug Shirt™ hit the runway in 2004, two updates have been created: the 2006 Hug Shirt™ and a recent Hug Shirt™, which only requires the receiver to wear a Hug Shirt™, since a virtual hug can be created, or selected, directly on the CuteCircuit Hug Shirt™ Mobile App (see image of the Hug Shirt™ interface).
Combining Internet-connected clothing with haptic (touch) telecommunication, the Hug Shirt™ is patented. The US utility patent US20070063849A1 titled Wearable haptic telecommunication device and system, recites the Hug Shirt™ invention. The abstract of the invention is included below, together with the Figure 1B of the patent application. An image of the most recent marketed version of the Hug Shirt™ is also included.
A wearable telecommunication device, such as a garment, that allows sending the sensation of touch, for example in the form of a hug, over a distance. Embedded in the garment are sensors and actuators, and typically one garment is worn by the sender and another by the recipient. The sensors capture various parameters representative of the touch, including the strength of the touch, the skin warmth and the heartbeat rate of the wearer, and the actuators recreate the sensation of that touch, and warmth through heating, vibration, and inflation. A wired or wireless connection permits the data captured by the sensors in the sender garment to be transmitted to the actuators of the recipient garment.[Abstract US20070063849A1]
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| Figure 1B - US20070063849A1 |
Specifically, the Figure 1B depicts a Hug Shirt™, comprising standard long sleeves 180, with generally circular markings 190, outlining strategic points around neck, hips, back, and shoulders, where pockets might be placed to receive what the patent designates as removable, sensor and actuator sandwich packages. Very thin and flexible sandwich packages, comprising the actuators and sensors, required to send, and receive, haptic information, according to the invention. For example, the sandwich packages might comprise one or more sensors, such as a pressure sensor, heartbeat rate sensor, temperature sensor, and a microphone. Likewise, the sandwich packages might comprise one or more actuators, such as a speaker, a heating pad, a tiny pump and a balloon or other bladder. The sandwich packages are removable so that the shirts might be cleaned.
In addition to the actuator and sensor sandwich packages, the Hug Shirts™ each comprise a microprocessor for processing sensor data into digital data. The microprocessor has a battery or other power source. Each Hug Shirt™ also comprises a communications module with a wired or wireless Bluetooth-type connection to a mobile device, equipped with the CuteCircuit Hug Shirt™ app. The Hug Shirt™ also comprises actuator electronics for driving the actuators, particularly the one or more pumps, used to inflate small bladders designed to provide the pressure sensations of a hug.
For remote transmission or reception of haptic data (i.e., of hugs), a user wearing a Hug Shirt™ initiates a hug, moving within the shirt, and touching the strategic circular points of the shirt, activating the heartbeat, pressure and temperature sensors. In turn, movement and touch are sensed, recorded and converted to digital data by the microprocessor. The digital data of the hug is then transmitted to the mobile CuteCircuit Hug Shirt™ app via the communication module with Bluetooth®-type or wired connection. Finally, the mobile app sends an SMS, comprising virtual hug data for the receiver wearing a connected Hug Shirt™. In turn, the virtual hug message, activates the receiver’s sensors and actuators, reproducing the hug that was sent, a few feet, or thousands of miles, away. Alternatively, the person sending a hug, without a Hug Shirt™ might use the Hug Shirt™ app to select or design a hug, which will then be transmitted to the receiver, wearing Hug Shirt™ that will decode and playback the hug sent.
Contactless hugs galore, what a missed benefit!
References
Amazing Embrace - Time Magazine Best Inventions of 2006. http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1939342_1939424_1939709,00.html
CuteCircuit https://cutecircuit.com/
Weir, J. (May 17, 2007) CuteCircuit Hug Shirt™. https://crunchwear.com/cutecircuit-hug-shirt/
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