Alju Dress: Pets as a Metaphor for Wearable Display Designs

Alju is inspired by the pet-owner relationship and mimics exotic birds living on our bodies. It is a dress that interacts with sudden changes in its surroundings by reacting to the sounds around it. It indicates moderate and high noise levels by imitating bird wings moving on the garment in different velocities. Just like a pet, it acts ambiguously and requires us to pay attention to its intentions and try to interpret why it acts the way that it does. In this regard, our work aims to present pets as a metaphor for designing wearable displays and transferring animal-like behaviors to a garment to replicate emotional communication between pets and their owners, easing the way the wearer perceives the challenges of wearable displays automatically modifying her appearance.