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Embedded Smarthouse Bathroom Entertainment Systems for Improving Quality of Life

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Entertaining the Whole World

Part of the book series: Human–Computer Interaction Series ((HCIS))

Abstract

The phrase “Smarthouse to improve the smartness of a human’s daily life” has two meanings. One is to improve individual smartness, which represents the Quality of Life (QoL); the other is to improve social smartness, which includes human communications and social consumptions. This chapter primarily describes entertainment systems that can be embedded particularly in the bathrooms of smarthouses and used by humans in everyday life to improve QoL. The systems include “Bathonify,” a sonification system that reflects the bathing states and vital signs of the bather; “TubTouch,” a bathtub entertainment system that uses embedded touch sensors and a projector to control various equipment and systems; and “Bathcratch,” a DJ scratching music system that is operated by rubbing and touching the bathtub. Even though these systems are based on Japanese bathing culture and style, they provide advances in the pleasures of everyday life. In addition, these embedded systems and their techniques provide advances in computer entertainment platforms that can be extended to various places and situations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    TubTouch Example 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDKR6rTwobM.

  2. 2.

    TubTouch Example 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiKocZ1IORw.

  3. 3.

    Bathcratch movie 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp_0rPx-RSY.

  4. 4.

    Bathcratch movie 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-Z0visXQwo.

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Acknowledgement

These research were partially supported by Osaka Gas Co.,Ltd and a grant from the Hayao Nakayama Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, Japan

    Shigeyuki Hirai

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  1. Shigeyuki Hirai
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Correspondence to Shigeyuki Hirai .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Mixed Reality Lab, City University London, London, United Kingdom

    Adrian David Cheok

  2. University of Twente Human Media Interaction Group, Enschede, The Netherlands

    Anton Nijholt

  3. Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Caparica, Portugal

    Teresa Romão

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Hirai, S. (2014). Embedded Smarthouse Bathroom Entertainment Systems for Improving Quality of Life. In: Cheok, A., Nijholt, A., Romão, T. (eds) Entertaining the Whole World. Human–Computer Interaction Series. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6446-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-6446-3_6

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  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-6446-3

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