2011 IEEE International Conferences on Internet of Things, and Cyber, Physical and Social Computing

i-FUNCTION OF ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE

Building Social Network by Electronic Cigarette
Bo Li, Shafiq ur Rhman, and Haibo Li Dept. of Applied Physics and Electronics, Ume University, Sweden. bo.li, shafiq.urrehman, haibo.li @tfe.umu.se

Abstract In this paper the role of electronic cigarette (ecigarette) is considered in context of social networking and internet based help for smoking cessation or reduction in smoking behavior. Electronic cigarette can be a good conversation starter and interaction device. Its interestingness can be used for social network building and thus using virtual communities (e.g. Facebook, Twitter etc.) to exchange experiences and to support each other. A framework of social network interaction through interact function (i-function) of electronic cigarette is presented which enables two e-cigarette users to immediate interact when they are in close range. The framework also presents a functional possibility of reflecting peoples emotion on social network websites. Keywords--internet of things; electronic cigarette; social network; interaction; virtual communities; facebook; emotion.

(a)

(b)

(c)

Figure 1. (a) Electronic Cigarette. (b) Components: A. LED light

cover; B. Battery; C. Atomizer; D. Cartridge. (c) E-Cigarette Pack [5].

INTRODUCTION The economic and health risks of smoking are quite well known today through several years of research and public debate. The World Health Organization is estimating an average descent in smoking prevalence of 0.5-1% in developing nations, while still increasing in developed countries. The world mortality rate due to smoking is currently estimated at 5.4 million people per year, which can be 8 million by 2030 [1]. It is obvious that rational health considerations are not only forcing factors in quittingsmoking decision but social and behavioral factors seems more influential in changing smoking habits. Decades of study have also shown that mass media campaigns can be effective to control smoking on the social and political level, in legitimizing community actions [2]. In this paper, we will present i-functions of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). An i-Function enables interaction among users and helps them build virtual communities for smoking cessation. We will consider how effectively ifunction of an e-cigarette can benefit and the possibility of expanding these functions to social network building. The presented framework consists of e-cigarettes, smart phones and social network websites. This work is organized in five sections. In section II an overview of the e-cigarette technology and i-function is provided. After describing ifunction framework in section III and IV. We have concluded the current work in section V.
978-0-7695-4580-6/11 $26.00 2011 IEEE DOI 10.1109/iThings/CPSCom.2011.124 634

I.

II. BACKGROUND Electronic cigarette is an electrical device that mimics the act of smoking by generating the physical sensation. It was invented by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik in 2003 [3]. Its prompters claim that the use of the e-cigarette is as a smoking cessation device without, or with greatly reduced, adverse health risks. Its possible role or adverse effects are a subject of disagreement among researchers and different health organizations. Current work is not about the function of e-cigarette as tobacco smoking usage, rather an interaction device and a smart object to help the users to build a virtual community to exchange the experiences and to perform fun related activities. We call this functionality interaction function (ifunction). This i-function is achieved by using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) [4]. Today, RFIDs are used unnoticeably in consumer products in many daily applications. The addition of RFID makes e-cigarette a smart object and part of the internet of things (IoT) [16]. With an active RFID tag in each e-cigarettes case, one pack of e-cigarette can detect the presence of another and the e-cigarettes pack will then light up and vibrate to indicate presence of other e-cigarette user(s). Hence as smart object e-cigarettes provide: Awareness to sense, interpret, and react to activities and events in surrounding. Interaction and representation ability to dialogue with the users, systems and virtual community in terms of input, feedback and provide interactive capabilities

III. INTERACTION FUNCTION AND E-CIGARETTES In current work, we consider two types of interaction, i.e. localized RFID application based interaction and connecting to a virtual community as a high level of interaction. Later, this will allow users to build social networks and share the experiences online. Fig. 3 shows schematic diagram of social network building through i-function of e-cigarette. The social network building is achieved naturally through registering on virtual community. In this framework, there are two types of interaction. 1. Localized RFID application based Interaction: Localized RFID interaction is considered as first level of interaction or direct interaction. For this type of interaction an electronic pack should include a transceiver which sends and receives RFID transmissions. The complete system consists of a transceiver, a battery, a memory- chip and an antenna. The memory-chip stores the transceivers unique ID number, which can be transmitted with close proximity of other e-cigarette packs. The user is informed by system beeps, when another RFID-enabled pack comes within range after recognizing the unique ID (see Fig. 2). When the communication channel is established both packs vibrate or if possible illuminate their own LED screens which informs users the presence of other user(s). Today, commercial companies (such as blu-cig [5] etc.) envision a user holding up a pack in order to try to catch the attention of another user in the room or immediate area. The localized RFID interaction provides a sense to interpret the events in surrounding and ability to dialogue among the users.

Figure 3. Interaction structure-II: Social Network website interaction Secondly, virtual communities can be built territorially which link local people who use electronic cigarettes. When user plugs the e-cigarette pack to computer for the first time, a virtual community can be build based on territorial location. This virtual community is not like a group or a page on social network website. Groups on social network website show the same group members to every group member. However, when we talk about virtual community for ecigarette users, the virtual community shows different members based on region. This means virtual community is more private and more local. The local e-cigarette users can make friends online and make social contact in the real world. Based on [6], social network websites provide six basic functionalities: identity management, expert finding, context awareness, contact management, network awareness, and exchange. In his research, he found out that the mostly used and important features are to keep contact, to share information and to share pictures. To keep contact with friends, users need to exchange views and discover common context. People usually care about friends daily events, emotions, etc. IV. EMOTION SHARING AND INTERACTION Emotions play a key role in everyday life and communications. Today virtual communities, such as Twitter and Facebook, provide Social Awareness Streams [7]. A communication system let people easily share activities and emotion based information with online contacts. People share emotional experiences which strengthen ties and bring people closer to one another and allow support networks [8]. Emotion information is a focal point in health-related research and there is very complex relationship between health and emotional states. Key health behaviors, such as eating habits and substance abuse are influenced by emotions [9,10]. Smoking behavior is highly relevant to a persons emotion. There are many reasons that people smoke [11]. Some respondents remarked that smoking cigarettes is like being with a friend. Most people think cigarettes help to relax. Sometimes people smoke when they need to think. Regularly, people take smoking as a reward. We can promise ourselves: When I have finished this piece of work, then I have written the last page of my report, Ill deserve a little fun. Ill have a cigarette. There is a possibility that the way people smoke can reflect the emotion or the reason of smoking. For example, when people finish some work and take a cigarette as reward, and inhale more frequently and the inhaling takes longer time than usual. When people are

Uique ID

Figure 2. Interaction structure- : Localized RFID interaction 2. Social Network Website Interaction In addition to direct interaction, a high level interaction can be implemented through virtual communities and social network websites. One option is that the electronic pack can help the users to connect with each other after heading home. An e-cigarette user will have to first sign into the system via the e-cigarettes website, where s/he will be invited to provide personal data such as a name and contact information, e.g. an e-mail. This information will be used by the system to invite the user to join virtual communities like Facebook page. Firstly the e-cigarette user then makes friends through direct interaction with the pack in public places. Secondly, they can choose to captures the ID number of that individuals pack, and the pack user can then go back to his own account by connecting to internet and uses the information stored in the pack to find friends online ( Fig. 3).

635

stressful in a day, they may take more cigarettes than usual. Social support regarding health challenges such as quitting smoking, weight-problem and coping with cancer proved to be very assisting [9,12,13]. An i-function of e-cigarette can be expanded to reflect users smoking behavior on social network websites. As shown in Fig. 4, an electronic pack can communicate with smart phone when the user smokes. The sensor in cigarette can send information to electronic pack regarding the emotion-state which invokes smoking-behavior. Then the information is transferred to smart phone. An Emotion Awareness Algorithm (EAA) in smart phone will analyze the information and compare with historical data to detect emotion or stimuli of user. When we talk about emotionstate, it is a stimulus of smoking behavior. We do not refer to the traditional psychological emotion classification done by Paul Ekman [14], which classifies emotion as happiness, sadness, disgust, anger, and fear. In our EAA, we refer emotion-states as the stimulus which shape the smoking behavior or make smoking behavior different [15]. For example, loneliness is not considered a category in traditional emotion classification. The loneliness is an emotion-state in EAA because loneliness is one of the primary reasons of smoking. Our EAA inform about such emotions to the user. Hence an emotional awareness can reduce smoking behavior of the user. In order to select emotionstates for EAA, we have collected statistic data from a smoker group (150 individuals) which reflects the most common reasons (see Table. ). Based on the empirical data, for EAA, we have selected six most common emotion-states namely, loneliness, craving, stress, anticipation, cognitive-load, and socialacceptance. Practically, some reasons of smoking are not easy to be detected. For example, when smoker need cigarette to help thinking, they are usually under cognitive pressure. Therefore, priori knowledge will be used in classification. For example, statistical data shows that the work-load has more possibility than helps thinking. After classification, smokers emotion is send to social network websites add-on. This add-on can become very humanistic like a friend or pet. For example, when I am under stress, my pet on Facebook can pop out a message say: Bo smokes more today because he has lots of work today!
TABLE . REASONS OF SMOKING & EMOTION-STATES

Like sharing mood diary with friends, sharing emotion through e-cigarettes will be an interesting novelty. There are three benefits from emotional interaction. First of all, emotional interaction deepens interaction and strengthens social links. Secondly, emotional interaction can improve mental health through social care. The social care here is from friends. When people rely on internet and spend more times at home, they spend less time going outside to meet friends. In such case, the way of people keep social contact shift from normal ways to online social contact. However, communication through typing words and sharing pictures cannot reflect real emotions. Therefore, emotional interaction can be a supplemental function of social network website. This perfectly supplies the mental care function in online social contact. Thirdly, emotional interaction can help smokers to reduce smoking dose. When mental health is improved, the negative reasons of smoking can be greatly reduced [13].

Figure 4. Emotion sharing and interaction

Emotion-States Smoking Behavior

E-cigarette Pet Bo is too busy today! Bo is lonely tonight! Bo is very happy now! Bo is thinking on something....maybe. Who is Bo talking with? Etc.

loneliness,
Frequency of inhalation Integeral Dose Inhalation Depth

craving, stress, anticipation, cognitive-load, social-acceptance

Reasons
1. With cigarette I am not alone 2. Smoking helps me to relax 3. Cigarette blow my troubles away 4. Smoking is a reward work finishes 5. Smoking helps me to think

Emotion-States
Loneliness Craving Stress Anticipation Cognitive-load

Smoking Timepoint Etc.

Sensor in E-cigarette Emotion Add-on on Social website

Figure 5. Emotion Awaraness diagram The i-functions of e-cigarette provide a healthy and a fun way to change the smoking behaviour. The emotion-state intraction using social network websites can be a mentoragent for mental-health support.

6. Smoking helps conversation

Social-Acceptance

636

V. CONCLUSION In this paper we have presented i-function of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette). We have also described an online and offline social network interaction using e-cigarette using RFID technology. The considered framework enables interaction based on emotion-states among users on social network website. This interaction could bring a new concept into social network interaction and smoking cessation. In addition, we have discussed the implementation of an emotional interaction based on emotion awareness in order to strengthen social link, improve health and health-related behavior. The potential of emerging technologies such as ecigarette and virtual communities is presented in this work. This work paves the way for future studies to explore possibilities of the emotion-sharing based on interactionsystems for better outcomes of health and health related behaviors. REFERENCES
[1] [2] World Health Organization, 10 facts on the tobacco epidemic and global tobacco control, Geneva: WHO; 2010. M. Bala, L. Strzeszynski, K. Cahill, Mass media interventions for smoking cessation in adults (Review), The Cochrane Collaboration, 2009. Electronic Atomization Cigarette Patent, Link : http://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio;jsessionid= 64236A395F6EE3A8500DBA1E1F82975E.espacenet_levelx_prod_2 ?FT=D&date=20071122&DB=&locale=en_EP&CC=US&NR=2007 267031A1&KC=A1 (Last Accesssed : 10-08-2011) C. Swedberg, RFID makes matches for E-cigarette smokers, RFID Journal, 2011. Blucigs , www.blucigs.com, (Last Accesssed : 12-08-2011)

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9] [10]

[11] [12]

[13]

[14]

[3]

[15]

[4] [5]

[16]

A. Richter, and M. Koch, Functions of social networking services, The 8th International Conference on the Design of Cooperative Systems. Institut d'Etudes Politiques d'Aix-en-Provence, pp87-98, 2008. M. Naaman, J. Boase, Chih-Hui Lai, Is it Really About Me? Message Content in Social Awareness Streams, Proc. CSCW 2010, ACM Press, pp.189-192, 2010. B. Rim, C. Finkenauer, O. Luminet, E. Zech, P. Philippot, Social Sharing of Emotion: New Evidence and New Questions , European Review of Social Psychology, 9, 145-189, 1998. M. Macht, How emotions affect eating: a five-way model, Appetite. 50(1):111, 2008. D. Epstein, J. Willner-Reid, M. Vahabzadeh, M. Mezghanni, J. Lin, K. Preston, Real-time electronic diary reports of cue exposure and mood in the hours before cocaine and heroin craving and use, Arch Gen Psychiatry. 66(1):8894, 2009. E. Dichter, Why do we smoke cigarettes? The Psychology of Everyday Living, 1947. R. Murray, J. Johnston, J. Dolce, W. Lee and P. O'Hara, Social support for smoking cessation and abstinence: the Lung Health Study, Addict Behav. 20(2):15970, 1995. J. Pennebaker, E. Zech, B. Rim, Disclosing and sharing emotion: psychological, social, and health consequences, In M.S. Stroebe, W. Stroebe, R.O. Hansson, & H. Schut (Eds.) Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping, and care (pp. 517-539), Washington DC: American Psychological Association, 2001. P. Ekman, Universals and cultural differences in facial expression of emotion, In J. Cole ed. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, pp207-283, 1972. R. Baumeister, K. Vohs, C. DeWall, L. Zhang, How Emotion Shapes Behavior: Feedback, Anticipation, and Reflection, Rather than Direct Causation, Personality and Social Psychology Review. 11(2):167203, 2007. L. Atzori, A. Iera, G. Morabito, The Internet of Things: A Survey, Computer Networks,54(15): 2787-2805,2010.

637