The bed: a medium for intimate communication

In this paper, I present "The Bed", an environment providing a new form of abstracted presence for intimate, non-verbal inter-personal communication. This secure and familiar environment is explored for its ability to become a shared virtual space for bridging the distance between two remotely located individuals through aural, visual, and tactile manifestations of subtle emotional qualities. As an example, I describe the application of these tangible interfaces and ambient media into a working prototype.