ARBliss

Many Augmented Reality and computer assistant programs have goals of interacting with our terrain and abilities in broad ways. ARBliss is a proposal for a household application that will help increase everyday happiness in simple ways.

Many households have an imbalance in the perceptions and motivations of household members. In particular, daily chores are often a sore point. While it may seem trivial to some, in fact discrepancies can be the cause of substantial marriage problems. One member may be more proactive and happier with the environment in a particular state; this may be less important to another member. This is an area where modern computer systems can help.

Positioning a few inexpensive digital cameras around the household would enable capturing the "best" state of a home. A simple, private (non-networked) application would regularly update the current state based on a simple "tidiness" metric. Zones, such as desktops, could be designated as variable, while others, such as countertops, would not. Over a period of time, a subtle indicator would let residents know the state of the household is becoming unacceptable. With the agreement of both, the system could take over the harmful role of "nagging," and support finely tuned and negotiated threshholds.

Additional controls would allow tuning of the household states, and the system could serve as a basis for input, readings and interactions around moods and harboured thoughts.

Some couple successfully conduct their relationships like a corporation, so a concept like "metrics" would fit in. But such a system wouldn't work for everyone. Some couples would find an intrusion against a more intuitive, "personal" way of communicating. But it could be an effective way to alleviate some problems and create additional channels of communication.