# IoT Skullfort: Exploring the Impact of Internet Connected Cosplay

## TL;DR

This paper investigates how IoT technology can transform cosplay by enabling audience interaction with costumes, demonstrated through an IoT-enabled Skullfort that allows third-party control, opening new entertainment possibilities.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel IoT-enabled cosplay costume that allows audience manipulation, highlighting new interactive opportunities and challenges in the cosplay community.

## Key findings

- Audience-controlled costume behavior demonstrated
- Focus group insights on user experience and challenges
- Potential for enhanced entertainment through IoT interaction

## Abstract

In this paper, we explore the potential impact of Internet of Things (IoT) technology may have on the cosplay community. We developed a costume (an IoT Skullfort) and embedded IoT technology to enhance its capabilities and user interactions. Sensing technologies are widely used in many different wearable domains including cosplay scenarios. However, in most of these scenarios, typical interaction pattern is that the costume responds to its environment or the player's behaviour (e.g., colour of lights may get changed when player moves hands). In contrast, our research focuses on exploring scenarios where the audience (third party) get to manipulate the costume behaviour (e.g., the audience get to change the colour of the Skullfort using a mobile application). We believe such an audience (third party) influenced cosplay brings new opportunities for enhanced entertainment. However, it also creates significant challenges. We report the results gathered through a focus group conducted in collaboration with cosplay community experts.