BubbleTalk

BubbleTalk is a tech-mediated interactive system designed to enrich the fishkeeping experience by supporting human behavioral expression within a physically disconnected environment. While traditional fishkeeping is often limited to maintenance-oriented tasks and aesthetic appreciation due to the low interactivity of fish, this system introduces an array-type bubble generator that translates human actions into the aquarium. By integrating voice and touch inputs, BubbleTalk provides visible, reachable, and expressible properties that allow users to direct bubbles of varying intensities to specific locations. A user study revealed that the system diversifies human behavior—enabling actions like "punishing," "consoling," or "listening to music together"—and prolongs interaction sequences by fostering a sense of social presence. Although higher controllability can lead to unilateral dissatisfaction if fish do not respond as expected, the system effectively reshapes the human-animal bond by allowing owners to project intentions and empathy into the aquatic world.