©iStockphoto.com/Jiraro praditcharoenkul Can a Green Thumb Make a Difference? Advanced Interaction and VR/AR Using a nature metaphor to communicate the sensor information of a coffee machine. By Carla Barreiros, Eduardo Veas, and Viktoria Pammer T his article describes a novel visual metaphor to communicate the sensor information of a connected device. The Internet of Things (IoT) aims to extend sensing and computing capabilities to every device. A byproduct of this is that even domestic machines become increasingly complex and more difficult to understand and maintain. We present a prototype of a coffee machine outfitted with sensors. The machine streams the sensor data, which are picked up by an augmented-reality (AR) application conceived as a metaphor from nature. The metaphor, BioAR, represents the status derived from the coffee machine sensors in the form of a three-dimensional (3-D) virtual tree. The tree is meant to serve as a living proxy of the machine it represents. The metaphor, shown by using either AR or a simple holographic display, reacts to user manipulation of the device. A first user study validated that the representation was correctly understood and that it inspired emotional connection with the machine. A second study confirmed that the metaphor scaled to a large number of such devices. THE QUEST FOR CALM TECHNOLOGY The IoT concept presents a great potential to impact many aspects of human life. In the IoT paradigm, connected devices possess embedded sensors and can communicate Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MCE.2018.2797738 Date of publication: 10 April 2018 90 IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine ^ MAy 2018 2162-2248/18©2018IEEEhttp://www.iStockphoto.com/Jiraro