The theme of the week is“Eco-Literacy” - the emerging social value to make our energy footprint more transparent than ever. How are the values and expressions of an eco-literate society being articulated in design, architecture, mobility, behavior and lifestyles?

Dole Organics is making it easier for customers to know where their food comes from: using a three-digit “farm code” located on the sticker of fruits and vegetablescustomers can access information and picturesof the country, the farm and the peoplewhogrewthe produce.(contributed by: Garry Golden)

In the future, what if we knew the carbon footprint of everything we ate?Grace Hung created this photo illustrating the carbon footprint of a cheeseburger, based on Jamais Cascio’s popular “cheeseburger footprint” idea (Note: click here to see the full-size version of this photo).

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Pop!Tech 2007created this “personal carbon calculator” which helped attendees measure their indivdual carbon footprint(including the carbon emitted from air and vehicle travel as well asthe conference itself).

Limor Fried SXSW

Originally uploaded by fringehog.

Open-Source Hardware is emerging as a new means of production and another iteration of the growing DIY trend. Open-source hardware developers carefully document how to make their piece of hardware and release all the information needed to make it, including CAD drawings, schematics, parts lists, and information about where to buy the supplies. It is released under a creative commons license.
Limor Fried is leading the way in the open-source hardware movement. She and Phil Torrone, Senior Editor of Make Magazine held court to a packed ballroom at the recent SXSWi in Austin, Texas. Limor’s passion for this new DIY open-source means of production was evident. She and Phil want to take the paradigm of open-source software and find out how to make things out of it.
Limor has her own open-source hardware company Adafruit Industries where she sells DIY kits for her open-source hardware creations.

Hug Shirt

Originally uploaded by fringehog.
Do you have a friend or lover that lives far awayIf so, you might want to pick up a Hug Shirt. The Hug Shirt is a Bluetooth accessory for java enabled mobile phones. With it, sending a hug to a loved one is as easy as sending a text message.
This is how it works. You need a Hug Shirt that is embedded with sensors that capture the emotion of your hug by feeling the strength of your touch, the warmth of your skin and your heartbeat. And you need a Bluetooth java enabled mobile phone that has the Hug Me java software running. When you touch the sensors on your shirt the information is received by your mobile and your hug is received by your loved ones mobile via Bluetooth and delivered to their shirt.
This shirt is another example of how our senses are being exploited to enhance our interactions with people, places and things.

Senseploitation is an emerging trend that describes the augmentation and exploitation of human senses, faculties, and the body to mediate and optimize interactions with people, places, and things

Yesterday we received most information via sight and sound. Tomorrow all five of our senses will be engaged to optimize our ability to process information. Every day objects like shoes, jewelry, clothing, appliances and home furnishings will be embedded with technologies that mediate the information flow. Developments in olfaction, materials science, and haptics are enabling the exploitation of our senses.

Senseploitation exists now and exotic applications aren’t far away. Hotels have exploited our sense of smell since 1991 imbuing common areas with signature scents, one element of sensory branding. Now sensory branding is used in corporate headquarters such as Samsung; upscale retailers like Coach; and entertainment venues like the Cirque du Soleil Theater at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

The IPod is a perfect example of senseploitation. Think about it, the IPod fits in our hands so nicely, it feels good, and the click wheel navigation interface is particularly sensual. Many consumer goods are coated with polymers that make them feel warm to the touch and pleasant to grip. Computer maker Acer coats its special edition Ferrari 4000 laptop with a sexy soft touch coating.

Projects like Tap Tap, for the Tangible Media class at MIT Media Lab give us an idea of what the future will bring. Tap Tap looks like a regular scarf, but it is embedded with haptic modules that deliver an ?affectionate touch?. The scarf’s haptic devices record and play back the touch that is most meaningful to each user. Another example is the smart second skin dress that mimics the human circulatory system and delivers scents designed to calm the wearer.

Industries from apparel to food to travel use sensory enhancing technologies to enhance your experience with their brand; most will not discuss how they’re used for competitive reasons. Yankee Candle is an exception; in 2004 they began using scented ink in their catalogs and report the scented-ink catalogs contributed to a sales increase of more than 20 percent.

Senseploitation Watch

The Hug Shirt

ScentSational Technologies

Aroma Water

Scented Running Top