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Agamanolis plays down the more risqué elements of Pillow Talk. He would be uncomfortable with it being used by the pornography industry but admits that this would be almost impossible to prevent. Pornography, he acknowledges, has been at the forefront of web developments we now take for granted, such as webcams, interactive chat and even the commercialisation of the internet. Pillow Talk may have set a few pulses racing in Japan, but like many interesting inventions it needs hard cash to produce it on a scale that is commercially viable.

The invention is one of several futuristic devices being developed at the Distance Lab which opened in January last year and has been funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) with about £3m. A further £2m has been obtained to see the team of 12 workers through their first five years.

Their focus is innovations that bridge geographical divides. One is Remote Impact, a boxing game in which opponents can break sweat together and raise their adrenaline levels from opposite ends of the world. It uses a virtual mattress, or “exertion interface”, in techno speak. A life-size silhouette of the remote pugilist is projected onto the mattress and the two players let fly with punches, kicks and karate chops. Each blow earns points and is accompanied by cartoon-like noises. It can record where the blows land and the force of impact so there are winners and losers but no fat lips. The system awaits a patent and is shrouded in secrecy. When it goes on display it is partially covered to prevent theft of the technology.

SeamuSays is a doll that looks like a cross between a Pokemon and a Gremlin. Parents record messages into the doll that can be retrieved by a child later. Playing with the doll in different ways retrieves various messages. A future version will allow messages to be recorded remotely.

Agamanolis studied for his post-graduate degree at MIT. He then went to Dublin to work in Media Lab Europe. HIE persuaded him to relocate to Scotland where he is confident that Distance Lab can establish itself, and the Highlands, as a global hub for digital communication.

As demands on the public purse increase significantly, a state-subsidised laboratory where scientists, artists and technologists dream up new inventions that belong in an episode of Star Trek may seem like a luxury too far. But Agamanolis defends his operation. “We have to have visionary themes,” he says.

“In the same way that John F Kennedy decided that we should go to the moon in the 1960s, people need to dream and think positively about the future.”

www.distancelab.org

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