People often engage in physical activity with others, yet wearable technologies like heart rate monitors typically focus on individual usage. In response, we discuss the potential of heart rate displays in a social context, by means of an augmented cycling helmet that displays heart rate data. We studied how pairs of cyclists engaged with this setup and found that access to another person's heart rate data can result in social interplay which in turn supports engagement with the exertion activity. Through our design process and study, we reveal key dimensions of designing for social uses of heart rate data and wearable displays: temporal and spatial accessibility of data, technology support for its interpretation, and influences on heart rate. We also articulate a set of insights for designers that aim to support social exertion activities with heart rate data. As such, our work expands our understanding of wearable technologies' unique interaction opportunities.

Flower Power is an interactive installation that creates immersive light atmospheres by capturing the colors of flowers and re-projecting them in the environment. A camera is suspended over a flower bed and its position depends on the positions of the visitors around the installation, which are detected using presence sensors. The image captured by the camera is rendered into the surrounding environment as a suggestive, saturated light scene. The participants can thus give the power to their favorite flower to set the overall light experience. In this paper we describe the motivation and the realization of the installation, and we discuss insights and reactions collected during the 2010 STRP Festival.