RoonRoon: A Wearable Teddy as Social Interface for Contextual Notification

In this paper we present a wearable teddy, RoonRoon (a physical embodiment artefact) that acts as a user interface for information services. It can monitor user's physical activity state (walking, standing, running and sitting) and can provide personalized information in a contextual manner minimizing interruptions. RoonRoon has four notification mechanisms: audible beeps, human voice, ambient sound and vibration. Since RoonRoon is intended primarily for mobile use, interaction is managed completely by voice using natural language. This paper describes the design and implementation of RoonRoon. We also present an informal study that reveals end users' impressions towards wearable toys as social interfaces.