Body as display: augmenting the face through transillumination

In this paper we describe our explorations of the design space offered by augmenting parts of the human face, in this case, the ears. Using light-emitting add-ons behind the ears we aim to enhance social interactions. Scenarios range from indirect notifications of events, messaging directed to the wearer but communicated via a person face to face, or adding information regarding the internal state of the wearer, like loudness discomfort levels, concentration fatigue, or emotional strain levels.