AFFECTIVE AR

Affective AR investigates how people emotionally and perceptually respond to soft textile robots and their augmented-reality (AR) twins. The study compares physical and virtual embodiments of four nature-inspired robotic sculptures—Waiting for the Dark, Thirsty for Air, Searching for the Sun, and Making Room—each expressing living rhythms such as breathing, swelling, and stretching. Using a between-subjects design, one group interacts with the physical installations while another experiences the identical motions in AR. Both follow the same protocol and complete identical self-assessment surveys that measure affective qualities like calmness, curiosity, liveliness, and connection. This framework isolates how sensory modality material resistance versus virtual immersion influences emotional engagement.

The paper situates the work within two intersecting research trajectories: one tracing the shift in soft robotics from anthropomorphic mimicry toward expression through material behavior and motion, and another exploring how, in virtual environments, empathy and presence emerge from the quality of motion rather than visual realism.

Each robot employs unique actuation systems (motors, spools, pneumatic chambers, or servos) controlled via Adafruit Feather microcontrollers and randomized timing, generating lifelike unpredictability. The AR twins are animated using recorded motion data, reproducing the same temporal signatures within a spatially aligned immersive environment.

Preliminary data from the physical installation show participants found the experience pleasant, natural, and alive, evoking calmness and curiosity. Future stages will include the virtual-twin dataset and integrate biometric sensing (heart rate, skin conductance, pupil dilation) to deepen understanding of emotional resonance across modalities.