‘kiss controller’ uses the act of kissing as sensory input for video games

designed by american digital media artist hye yeon nam with sam mendenhall, ‘kiss controller’ uses the act of kissing to provide input to a video game, providing an unconventional alternative to the camera-based tracking and full body interaction that is increasingly used for gesture-based gaming.

one user affixes a magnet to her tongue using fixodent. a small headset, worn by either participant and positioned in front of the mouth, contains sensors that pick up the changes in magnetic field that occurs as the magnet’s position changes with the tongue movement.

in the design team’s bowling game, the system records 20 seconds of input, in which the ball’s speed is determined by the speed of kissing, and the direction of the shot down the alley is affected by the user’s tongue position.

clip of the device demoed by its creators

via engadget