FEEL THE HIVE

2022. An Internet-powered backscratcher that converts clicks and taps to scratches.

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Ben Pang wearing the Feel the Hive backscratcher rig.

Feel the Hive is an IoT project that uses the premise of an Internet-powered backscratcher to deconstruct social/power dynamics found in interactions between Internet content creators and their viewers. Feel the Hive aims to play with the sensory disconnect of indirectly "touching" someone through a screen to provide a microculture reflective of parasocial relationships and power imbalances.

The project is split into two components: the clients (i.e. users) and the host. The host wears a rig with servos attached. Clients access a webapp and are instructed to tap the screen repeatedly. Each tap translates to the servos moving, which scratches the host's back. Faster taps mean faster servo scratches, potentially to the point of discomfort for the host.