Relatable. What if we could discreetly give feedback to the company we keep? Would it lead to better conversations or would it drive us crazy? How far of a stretch is this from our current technology-mediated interactions with each other?
A home object for affecting shared experience. Users move foot pedals to rate their current enjoyment of their experience with others at the table. The tabletop brightens or dims to reflect the cumulative group rating. If the enjoyment level drops dangerously low, the table flashes a distress signal to call for help from others that might save the conversation.

More detailed explanation and reflections on the object are here.