Channel

Can people living in long distance relationships be connected physically despite living miles apart?

Channel consists of two arrays of capacitive touch sensors on both sides of the device and an internal haptic motor. It has two tactile removable shells, an LED, button, USB-C charging port, battery and Bluetooth module.

The device is comprised of two tactile external shells and an internal component containing the product’s electronics. The device is distributed as a pair and is designed to share its shell with its other half. As such, each will be the mirror of the other.

Early prototyping was carried out in nylon reinforced air drying modelling clay and synthetic craft foam using a mould printed in ABS. The mould contained holes and channels to allow a haptic motor and wires for the capacitive touch sensors to be formed inside the object. This was then painted with a protective layer of diluted PVA before the surplus wire was cut down, bent into its channel and painted over with conductive paint.