Development of KIZUNA System to Support Time-Shifted Co-Dining

Abstract

Dining is an essential activity in our lives, during the mealtimes, family members get a chance to talk and share experiences. However, sometimes not everyone can join the meal, either they are busy, or the maybe they live apart, in recent years the wide variety of videoconferencing technologies have broadened the ways the people communicate with each other. But most of these technologies require that both sides are available at the same time to have communication . In this research we propose a time-shifted tele dining system “KIZUNA” for family members to enjoy a meal together even when they are unable to physically meet together. A person can enjoy a meal while watching a pre-recorded video of a remote family members dining . The system adapts the displayed videos playback speed according to the local diners eating behavior. This is likely to enhance the communication and increase the enjoyment while dining.