Using Digital but Physical Surrogates to Mediate Awareness, Communication and Privacy in Media Spaces

Digital but physical surrogates are tangible representations of remote people, typically members of small intimate teams, positioned within an office and under digital control. Surrogates selectively collect and present awareness information about the people they represent. They also react to people’s explicit and implicit physical actions: a person’s explicit acts include grasping and moving them, while implicit acts include one’s proximity to the surrogate. By responding appropriately to these physical actions of people, surrogates can control the communication capabilities of a media space in a natural way. This enables the smooth transition from awareness to casual interaction while mitigating concerns about privacy.