VEREINT - Feeling Connected through Interactive Technologies
Project Description
Motivation
People use technology to chat with each other or make video calls. However, while such “connectedness technologies” can be used to exchange information, emotional closeness is rarely achieved. The project VEREINT aims to gather knowledge that can be used to make technology-mediated “closeness across distance” more emotional, fulfilling and acceptable.
Goals and approach
Psychologists, designers, computer scientists and ethicists will develop models for a better design of connected technology. For this purpose, existing knowledge from human-technology interaction and other disciplines will be compiled and made applicable for designers. Methods and standards will be developed to quantify and qualify the effects and acceptance of new connectedness technologies.
Innovations and perspectives
VEREINT lays the foundation for more emotional and fulfilling “proximity over distance”. A digital “library of closeness” (connectedness technology for lending) involves citizens in research in an innovative way. Models and methods increase the creative quality and set standards.
The VEREINT project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the “Together through Innovation” research program.
Date
02/2023- 04/2026
Researchers
- Torben Wallbaum
- Maryam Amidi
- Jana Alina Mertineit
Website
Funding Agency
BMBF (16SV9108)
Partners
Publications
Relatedness Technologies: An Online Compendium and Systematic Review
Christiane Wenhart, Ronda Ringfort-Felner, Torben Wallbaum, Maryam Amidi, Ruben Albers, and Marc Hassenzahl, In Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI ‘25)
Beyond the Lab
Beyond Distance” – Our Projects Featured on Deutschlandfunk Kultur
Everyone knows the challenge: how can we stay connected despite distance? Through our projects VEREINT and MITEINANDER, we explore how technology can create a sense of presence and closeness in new ways. This feature on Deutschlandfunk Kultur shares concrete examples—listen here: Radio Feature (German) →
CORE – A Compendium of Relatedness Technologies
For more than 25 years, researchers and designers in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) have created innovative technologies to foster emotional closeness over distance. These “relatedness technologies” include robotic pets for couples, shared plant-care between grandparents and grandchildren, and devices that enable remote hugs, kisses, or playful nudges.
To provide a structured and reliable overview of these diverse technologies, we have developed CORE (COmpendium of RElatedness Technologies), a freely accessible interactive database. CORE helps researchers and designers explore existing concepts, prototypes, and design strategies for fostering emotional connection and intimacy across distance.
Whether you’re looking for inspiration, exploring specific topics such as interaction modalities, design strategies, or ethics, or seeking relevant previous work, CORE is your essential resource.