Haptics in a social network service: Tweeting with motion for sharing physical experiences

To augment tangible information into current social network systems (SNSs), this paper proposes an algorithm that generates force data from the user´s hand gestures. The input modality defined in this paper is based on gesture information in the form of an acceleration profile in that at times it describes the current status of a user better than text-based content. For the physical representation of a motion update, corresponding force vectors in a Cartesian coordinate system are calculated with the proposed linear equation. Given the experimental results, it is predicted that the proposed physical logging and rendering scheme will provide a physical experience in mediated social connections.