Tech/hardware stuff feel free to change add or correct

Technologies / Hardware design
First the devices that will connect your experience with another:

Wireless connectivity to your cell phone and other peoples cell phones forming a personalized weather space using:
Mitsumi WML-C40 Class 1 v2 Bluetooth module
As found on spark fun:

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=617

The Mitsumi has a 100m range and runs off of 3.3v. The blue tooth option wirelessly integrates The New Thermometer with your cell phone. This allows a networking app on your cell phone to deal with the transfer and conditioning of all the information in and out of the The New Thermometer. Reducing the computational load of The New Thermometer leaving it lighter and more energy efficient.

A tactile interface can transfer weather situations from around the world or a passing stranger, using an Thermoelectric Module from:

http://www.ferrotec.com/products/thermal/modules/

These modules can cool or heat based on the Seebeck effect where heating or cooling a material disproportionately will cause a flow of current in that material and visa versa. This allows for a tactile representation on your upper arm of any weather situation that is keyed into a network. This includes weather Data from global tracking systems as well as personalized weather data from friends and family, giving you a more complete notion of weather space.

A flexible screen for display and interaction:

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9722721-1.html

Driven by a OLED driver
Like this from Okisemi:

http://www.okisemi.com/eu/docbox/ml9352.pdf

The organic light emitting diode driver allows for the control of the display screen through a serial interface.

A flex screen can be used to transfer other visual information as well as emotional or personalized cues and provides a interactive platform using

A touch screen over-mount for easy interface and a sleek look
A color 24-bit LCD 4.3 psp touch screen also from spark fun:

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8448

Can be used with any 3-5v source.

The combination of the two provides a visual surface that can mount easily to your body with minimal discomfort. While still allowing for an exciting interactive experience.

And the devices that will allow you to transfer your weather data:

Color/light detector from digikey:

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail?name=ADJD-E622-QR999-ND

Gives a average reading of your surroundings color and brightness, this can be displayed on your device’s screen or ported to another’s experience.

And a
Temperature/ humidity detector:

http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail?name=HTF3130-ND

To transfer your current ambient temperature.

These sensors would be tied into a basic stamp microcontroller like the coridium ARMexpress:

http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=756

Small cheap and able to communicate with blue tooth serially. It is used for basic systems control and sensor readings.

And all powered by a cell phone battery for easy rechargability:

http://www.onlybatteries.com/?cat1=61

The battery pack can be recharged with a common phone charger making it an easy accessory to your personal communication devices.

Interactive Globe

Globe shape can be a form, which can connect an area weather to another. This is an interactive globe toy in toysrus.

Ambient weather devices

*Boring ambient weather devices
http://www.ambientweather.com
http://www.weatherconnect.com
These websites have bunch of boring ambient weather devices. However, we can see different existing technologies such as portable wind, UV, humidity, heat, and temperature instruments.

*Brookstone 5-Day Wireless Weather Forecaster
Here shows how does it work.
Pros:
- No monthly fee. Purchase the device and you’re set. (Unless you want weather from some other city; see below.)
- Put batteries in and forget it. It takes a few hours to first gain its bearings and then you’re all set.
- It knows where you are automatically. Take it with you to California, and it’ll work there too.

Cons:
- It only works in big cities. Make sure you check the coverage map before laying out the cash for it. If you live in the middle of nowhere, you’re likely to be disappointed.
- You have to pay extra if you want it to receive weather data for some city other than your own.
- The device becomes a fancy plastic paperweight if Ambient ever goes out of business.

*Ambient 5-Day Weather Forecaster
*Crystal Weather Station (This design seems interesting)
*In-car XM weather forecast for 2008
*Waking up to the weather in living color

ambient weather gadgets

A review of Ambient’s weather forecasting umbrella.

A cube by the same company that changes color. According to how hot/red or cold/blue it is.

Coffee + weather. Need more joe on gloomy days? It’s a coffee maker that displays weather information.

Some MIT kid was trying to display weather condition in closed spaces. Can’t really see much from the photos. It has a video as well but it’s not that impressive.

The Hug Shirt

Check out this project, the Hug Shirt. It is a wearable, bluetooth accessible shirt, that lets you “send hugs” to anyone else that has a Hug Shirt. There are sensors that read the warmth of the person (among other things) and that temperature is used in the calculation of what kind of hug is being sent. Just something to think about for how to connect people in our thermometer project.