By Kristina Ambos
Some 70 years ago, my Grandmother was in a long distance relationship, and love letters were her only way of staying in touch. As romantic as this sounds, I can’t help but think technology has made long distance relationships life a lot simpler!
First up there are all those websites, such as Skyscanner, Blablacar, Eurolines and L’TUR, which help you find an affordable route to your sweetheart. Then there’s the like of WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, and Facebook, as well as good old email, which allow you to keep in constant contact. It may not be as exciting as a romantic meal for two, but these sites at least allow you to see what your partner’s cooking/eating/up to on a daily basis.
However, we’re now seeing the emergence of a new generation of tech that’s designed to bring people closer together. For example, Tap Tap is a wristband that helps you ‘hold hands’ with your long distance lover. (If your tap your wristband, your partner’s band will vibrate in response.)
Kissinger does more or less the same, but with kisses . This robotic creation from Lovotics includes an artificial mouth that claims to provide all the convincing properties of a real kiss. If you’re struggling to imagine how this works, check out this video from Howard and Rajesh from “The Big Bang Theory.”
One downside of these new inventions is that they are pretty expensive, so you might as well use your cash to by a return ticket to visit your loved one. However it has made me think how much things have changed since my Grandmother’s time, and whether my grandkids will look back and laugh at how antiquated today’s communications channels feel.
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