We discussed in class about how Dreyfus thought that technology could possibly cause us to lead lives without meaning. Daniel summed up Dreyfus’s views by saying something along the lines of whatever hugs do for people, e-hugs will never be able to. I think Dreyfus meant for this statement to be hypothetical, but with advances in technology, the actual idea of an e-hug is becoming more and more plausible.
The appropriately named company CuteCircuit has several projects in the works that attempt to make technology more user friendly. Most of their projects incorporate some type of computing device into clothing. In this sense, we are coming that much closer to being one with technology, as Clark thinks. The most interesting and pertinent piece that they are working on now is the Hug Shirt. This is their description:
“The Hug Shirt is a shirt that makes people send hugs over distance! Embedded in the shirt there are sensors that feel the strength of the touch, the skin warmth and the heartbeat rate of the sender and actuators that recreate the sensation of touch, warmth and emotion of the hug to the shirt of the distant loved one.”
You can send and receive hugs through normal cell phones. The shirt “encodes” the hug before sending it out to whomever you choose. While this won’t be exactly like a real hug, it’s the next best thing to receiving a real one when you’re restrained distance. It’s a warm gesture that expresses how one feels. Besides, it’s the thought behind the action that really counts.
In addition, Cisco System has developed a conference system called TelePresence. It promises to bring people together even across great distances. The video pretty much explains everything.
With these new technologies emerging, we can now find out what their true potentials really are instead open ended debates with no resolution. Even though these existing technologies may not be able to prove Dreyfus wrong, we will be able to learn from these devices’ shortcomings and continually improve upon them. Maybe someday, e-hugs will be able to do whatever real hugs can.
Nicholas Marino | 03-Dec-06 at 10:48 pm | Permalink
It would be interesting to see what Dreyfus would say about these new technologies. The idea of the hug shirt working like that is pretty incrediable. I would agree with Dreyfus in that a real hug there are certain things that can’t be replicated through the internet or any other technology for that matter. For one, just knowing that another person is actually there, right next to you, is something that the shirt could not do. It does sound like it’s the next best thing to a real hug however.
stephanie hernandez | 04-Dec-06 at 7:38 pm | Permalink
I don’t argue with the fact that such advancements are being made, I simply believe that no matter what is done to try and bring to people which are found in different parts of the world at differnt times will not make thme be there…at least not physically. So after the hug shirt what will they create? A device with which you can virtually kiss some one miles away? I still stand with Dreyfus, it is true that like Clark says technology has become a vita part of our lives, but it is not everything. There will always be those things that belong to human nature and that technology can simply not fulfill, at least not in a manner which does not seem fake or mechanical.
Jeffrey Seredynski | 04-Dec-06 at 9:28 pm | Permalink
I disagree with the last sentence Kevin stated that e-hugs might someday be able to do what real hugs do. With a real hug, I feel that you need the presence of the person there in addition to their body heat and the feeling. Although that sweater may be able to reproduce the feeling of warmth and cause some pressure that makes it feel as if you are getting hugged, you do not have the presence of the person giving you that hug. Although an e-hug may be better than not getting a hug at all, I don’t believe it will ever be able to do what real hugs do. Even if there are improvements and advancements in technology that may make them seem more real, you can never get as real as the real thing itself.
Cristina Del Real | 04-Dec-06 at 10:46 pm | Permalink
I completely agree with Dreyfus and the rest who have stated that no matter what technological advances are made, an e-hug will never be able to accomplish the same thing that a real hug can do for a person. A hug is something that can provide comfort, support, and love when needed. Even thought the hug shirt would give the same physical sensation through the sensors and heat, the feeling that a hug gives a person could not be replaced. With this shirt a hug sent from anyone would feel the same. There is a different lever of satisfaction that one gets from a hug from a mother, a friend, or a boy/girl friend.
Kevin K. Hong | 05-Dec-06 at 10:59 am | Permalink
Our generation has grown up with computers, but we weren’t born with them, the way that kids these days are. I believe it is because of that, we are somewhat prejudice towards computers. Humans want to believe that there is something special that separates us from the machines. It’s difficult for us to imagine a world where computers are just as, if not more competent and capable than we are. When it comes down to replicating a hug, if every variable that goes into giving and receiving a hug is taken into account when designing a product to perform this purpose, how much more different is it from the original? As time passes and more research is put into this area, it is inevitable that this technology will become assimilated into our world, becoming a more transparent technology. As Clark said, as technology becomes more transparent and less opaque, it will be taken not as simply a tool, but an extension to who we are.
Brian Craig | 05-Dec-06 at 2:15 pm | Permalink
In regards to Kevin’s last comment, I understand what you’re saying, though I have to disagree. Though generations of the future will undoubtedely be more comfortable with technology and will see it as more of a natural part of their lives, I don’t see it ever changing people’s views on hugs and what not. I have no doubt that some day, maybe soon, computers will be able to replicate the feeling of a hug perfectly and we can send them instantly across the world. However, the thing I believe that e-hugs can’t do that real hugs can is to truly portray the emotion behind them. The situation, the mood, and the emotion are things that happen between two people, and I don’t believe could be replicated between a person and a machine. It can be close, and it can become popular, and it can be used when real hugs are impossible, but it will never replace the real thing.
Kevin K. Hong | 05-Dec-06 at 5:09 pm | Permalink
Why not? Every physical symptom of a hug can be replicated: pressure, warmth, the softness of perfectly synthesized skin, the fragrance of your lover, even pheromones given off during the embrace. Coupled with the ability to talk to and see your loved one, what more can one ask for from a hug?
The transparency of the device makes it seamlessly integrate into our lives. The hug apparatus will not be a foreign body, not just a tool. It becomes the user as an extension of his body and his ability to feel and sense.
We keep on going back to the fact that hugs are irreplaceable and not replicable, and I don’t understand why. What could be missing from a perfectly designed future telehug?
Nkone Adu Dapaah | 05-Dec-06 at 6:26 pm | Permalink
The video in your post is very interesting and i do agree that real hugs cannot be compared to e-hugs. i think e-hug are there in place of a real hug when a real hug is not avialable to get at that moment. i think they are there asa substitute for real hug. the important thing is that moretechnologies are been develop to maybe replace real things but one thing that must be noted is that they can never become like the real things. Its like when you are hungry and the food is not ready yet, you will eitheer have somesnack or drink water and wait for the food till its ready. i know this is aweak example but in our case the e-hugs are the snack and real hugs are the real food. And both are totally different things.
Christopher Lauschke | 05-Dec-06 at 8:30 pm | Permalink
I think i agree with kevin on this one. Everything going through our brain is just an electrical impulse. Theoretically technology in the future should be able to recreate these electrical impulses. In essence we could perfectly imitate all the information sent to the brain from the 5 senses. Sure its far fetched, but i think we have to remain open to the possibility of things like this happening.
Daniel Worst | 06-Dec-06 at 11:09 am | Permalink
I don’t think that e-hugs do the same thing as a real hug. I mean, most of the hug is feel and an e-hug has no feel. Christopher said that “we could perfectly imitate all the info sent to the 5 senses.” I don’t think there is a way to imitate feel with just electrical impulses. Maybe in the far distant future, but I don’t think it will happen in our lifetime.
Kyle Padera | 06-Dec-06 at 10:42 pm | Permalink
I think the day we can actually hug someone over the internet will be the day the Sun collapses on the Earth. A hug over the internet will never be able to create the same stimulation that a real hug will. A simple example is saying that it is easier to talk to someone on the internet than in real person. I think this is definately true, from personal experience even. Say if you talk to someone you like over the internet, it is much easier to stimulate conversation than if you are standing right next to her, its just humanity and our capacity for nerves, something a machine will never be able to handle, just ask Searle.
Kyle Padera | 06-Dec-06 at 11:01 pm | Permalink
Another thing that seriously seperates humans from machines is our capacity to hope. The benefit of hope in a greater power is seen very clearly in Kingdom Come (the Graphic novel). One of the final scenes takes place in a church, where the narrator of the story is given his final charge. He has witnessed the enitre story through the assistance of the Spectre. As the Spectre departs he says, “Well Norman, you have watched th titans walk the Earth and you have kept stride. Perhaps you are more like them than you realize. You exist to give HOPE.” The theistic philosopher will agree. A supernatural eschatology does exactly what the Spectre says of the preacher, or Superman, and more. It provides the truthful possibility of unbounded hope, in contrast to a naturalistic eschatology built on a foundation of unyielding despair. What’s more, such an eschatology allows one to hold consistently together hope and truth, as well as individual responsibility and belief in ultimate justice. So the day a computer or machine can do this, you can shoot me.
Kristina Hughes | 07-Dec-06 at 12:00 pm | Permalink
I get the whole hope and truth thing…but on a more basic evel, I agree e-hugs cannot compare to real hugs. However, don’t e-hugs, or our conversations with others ovre the internet offer a different kind of relationship? I don’t think the two relationships(internet, in person) are comparable beacuse they both serve different purposes. However, like I have commented before on other posts, take the example of your relationship with the same friend both in person and over the internet. Does the internet enhaance your physcial reltainship, does it make it awkward? It’s different for everyone.
Teresa Hernandez | 07-Dec-06 at 12:27 pm | Permalink
Relationships enhanced by technology and those that are actually physical can and never will be the same. Some people may disagree with me, but I fully believe that a hug given to me through the internet will never be the same as a hug given to me by someone that I love and care about. To me, it’s all about feeling someone’s physical presence which is something that I will never feel through my computer screen. It’s a known fact that humans need physical contact in order to survive, and that is the biggest difference to me between these two kinds of hugs. E-hugs may intend to accomplish the same thing that real hugs do, but they will never be able to. I think in this case, there is no substitute for the real thing, and no form of technolgy will ever be able to replicate that.
Erin Hogan | 07-Dec-06 at 2:18 pm | Permalink
I personally find the idea of an e-hug completely creepy. Yeah, maybe it can replicate everything that physically makes up a hug, but it can never fulfill the emotional side of a hug. What makes a hug so special is the emotions behind. While some argue that the emotions can be transmitted, I just can’t agree with that. Hugs are in part special because of the actual closeness of people. Like Dreyfus says, on the internet there is no bodily risk involved. You can’t form the same kind of bond as you would in person. When I looked at the website, the manufactures even said that their shirt wasn’t intended to replace real hugs. I can agree with Clark that technology can become an extension of a person; I just don’t think that this applies to all aspects of life
Rickin Shah | 07-Dec-06 at 8:40 pm | Permalink
Interesting on a few levels. Mostly the e-hugs. I think these shirts have idea potential but the thought that a hug can be accurately imitated through electric impulses and sensors is kinda of a ridiculous idea to me. I think threes a lot more feeling that goes into a hug for a loved one and getting a shirt via FedEx just doesn’t do it for me. The Cisco Telepresecne technology on the other hand seems rather impressive. Did anyone else wonder what about this was so special except that all the monitors were 52 inch flat screens. I’m not completely sure how this is very different than video conferencing that happens everyday in the corporate world. I’m am pro for the idea that increasing technological advances can bring people together but i just don’t think we’ll ever see that real human feeling interaction happen through any technology that comes about in our lifetime….maybe its possible but i think it’s far to early to convey complete emotion through satellite signals.
Jeff Chwa | 07-Dec-06 at 9:19 pm | Permalink
At first this is a little disturbing. It is sad to think our society has made people so preoccupied that they will need to be hugged from a distance. After letting the idea sit for a while, it really isn’t that dramatic. With cell phones being such a big part of our identity with text messaging and what not this is just another way to use technology to communicate from long distances. The e-hug is just a more physical type of communication. This idea is just part of a natural progression that our society is witnessing.
Kenneth Sullivan | 07-Dec-06 at 11:59 pm | Permalink
I agree with you in your post Kevin that it is the thought that counts. However what makes a hug so comforting is the actual physical contact. During World War II when many babies were left to be cared for in nursuries the nurses developed pillows that had a slot for a bottle so they did not have to individually feed each baby. What they found, much to their dismay, was that the babies were dying because they had lost the will to live and would not drink the milk. It was the physical contact of picking the babies up and feeding them that kept them going. When they were just left with a pillow and a bottle for days they felt empty and gave up. So although a hug shirt is a good idea, it does not bring it in for the real thing.