New Facebook Jacket Hugs You When Someone Likes Your Status

Being liked on Facebook is normal, and could create a feel good mood, but nothing physical happens. Nothing physical is expected because Facebook, other social networks and other messaging service are virtual with relations staying so. But a student of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Melissa Chow, has designed a wireless-controlled Jacket that bloats whenever your status is liked. ‘Like-A-Hug’ is a wearable social media vest that allows for hugs to be given via Facebook, bringing us closer despite physical distance. Air pockets in the jacket inflate when the wearer’s mobile phone sends a signal a page has been liked; hugs can also be returned by squeezing the vest and deflating it. The creator said of the innovation, that it, “allows us to feel the warmth, encouragement, support, or love that we feel when we receive hugs.  The project was done as an exercise and exploration in shape display.” “We came up with the concept over a casual conversation about long-distance relationships and the limitations of video chat interfaces like Skype. The concept of tele-presence arose, and we toyed with the idea of receiving hugs via wireless technology. The result was Like-A-Hug. Connecting it to Facebook conceptually was simply a way to explore how social media might push past the traditional graphic user interface.”