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Interactive Hugging

San Diego, California: Design Systems R&D, Inc. has applied for patents that will enable children to send and receive "hugs" from their favorite TV and Internet characters while playing with their online stuffed toys and teddy bears. Grandparents will soon be able to give and receive hugs while video teleconferencing with their children and grandchildren. Businesspersons across the globe will "shake hands" on e-agreements. Military personnel will truly stay "in touch" with their families. Shut-ins and the elderly may "visit" Las Vegas and partake in a live "real" game of blackjack ~ and later interact with their favorite shows or purchase gifts while touring their favorite shops.
The extreme importance of human touch and hugging is well documented, and yet our ability to give and receive "hugs" and interactive touching is missing from our web-based and other remote communication systems. The applied for U.S. patents cover Internet, interactive TV, and phone-linked stuffed animals, dolls, toys, devices, games, and the associated new dimensions in educational, entertainment, informational programming, and commerce methods. The company is licensed to file for worldwide patent applications.
Craig L. Linden, president of Design Systems, believes these exciting physically interactive communication methods will become a significant part of the World Wide Web and interactive television's bright future. The company's goals are to help transform today's limited person-to-computer and virtual reality interactions into real- time human interactions and to become a leader in these new millennium communication systems. The company is seeking to develop strategic industry partnerships to further develop the technologies and worldwide market potential.