Wearing the playware

In this conceptual paper, we describe and defi ne the range of possible applications, and the technical contours, of a robotic system to be worn on the body for playful interactions. Earlier work on a modular robotic wearable (MRW) described how, by using modular robotics to create a wearable, it is possible to obtain a fl exible wearable processing system where freely interchangeable input/output modules can be positioned on a body suit in accordance with the task at hand.

Here, we guide attention toward early prototypes to show the potentialities of such an approach, and focus on depicting possible applications in the electronic games domain. Indeed, the MRW is an example of modular playware which can create playful interactions for many application domains, including electronic games.