TEAM
PRESS
Interview with Gear Live
Göbie is the result of a collaboration between a team of Parsons students and Panasonic. Göbie is a healthcare wearable focused on improving social wellness through play. Social wellness is about being present in your environment and making connections with others around you.
Göbie catalyzes spontaneous and connected play experiences that help users create a sense of community wherever and whenever. More information on the product site.
Concept & interaction design
Hardware and software development
ROLE
TECHNOLOGY
Arduino
blueBean
Custom LED matrix
Custom haptic feedback
Jane Michell - website design, branding & hardware development, UX research
Qinzi Tan - software development
Timothy Ronco - industrial design
How it works
1. Wear Göbie device on your wrist and go out on the town!
2. Haptic notification indicates when another Göbie user is nearby.
3. Göbie coordinates a pop-up play opportunity
4. Brief moments of voluntary social interaction provide low-pressure playful experiences.
5. Positive Feedback through App.
Research
Healthcare wearables passively track data and are often focused on physical health. In many cases, users lose interest in their wearable. Panasonic wants to rethink the healthcare wearable by providing products that emphasize comprehensive wellness - physical, mental, and social wellness.
Social Wellness is about being present in your surroundings and making connections with the people around you. Healthcare should not only be about physical condition, but also about mental and social health.
Face-to-face connections are essential for all aspects of wellness. Unfortunately, current products that are geared towards promoting social interaction are dependent on phone screens. Göbie's hardware design allows users to interact without the mediation of a screen, encouraging them to be more present and aware of their surroundings.
Göbie uses play as a catalyst for face-to-face interaction. Play is an easy and low-pressure way to initiate face-to-face connection. The short play experiences encourage users to be mindful of their social wellness.
Hardware development
Göbie was created using the blueBean micro-controller. Modifications included a custom LED matrix and haptic motors.
The team decided on the blueBean due to it's blueTooth capabilities and built in accelerometer. Future iterations will consider a rechargeable battery and a custom micro-board that will accommodate for a smaller wearable.
Software was programmed using the Arduino IDE.
At SXSW Panasonic House 2017
