Research & third-party funding

Joachim has a 6-year-old granddaughter, Mia, who lives in another city. Because they see each other so rarely, Joachim got her a pair of bitplush. He gave Mia the squirrel as a present and told her that it always connects her to her grandpa's mole. If Mia misses Joachim, just wants a cuddle or wants to leave a little hello, she can nuzzle, stroke or scratch her bitplush. Joachim's bitplush reacts to this and vice versa. Both bitplushs can radiate warmth, raise their fur, wave and much more. Grandpa and grandson develop their own secret language to be close to each other. Even if Mia and Joachim can't see each other that often, their bitplushs always let them know that they are there for each other.

Innovation and perspectives

Social media and online meetings do not fulfill the personal-biographical facets of social interaction, as they are designed for broad user masses on the one hand and are geared towards purely audiovisual channels on the other. There is a social and market gap that requires the testing of new interaction technologies. At the heart of the network's innovation are implicit, multimodal and low-threshold communication channels that offer a data-saving alternative to surveillance technology and complement emotional bonds between separated family members without replacing other forms of social interaction.

Based on this vision, the network is researching how smart cuddly toys can help to bridge spatial and temporal distances between loved ones without replacing other forms of social interaction.

To this end, the association combines the rich artisanal tradition of soft toy production with the technological field of smart textiles. In a participatory and psychologically sound manner, the association is researching how networked smart soft toys can supplement emotional bonds between physically separated family members with imaginative forms of expression.