Effect on Social Connectedness and Stress Levels by Using a Huggable Interface in Remote Communication

Abstract

Affective communication technologies are designed to enhance awareness, social connectedness, and affectivity. Design strategies involve alternative methods to convey affection in computer-mediated scenarios, emphasizing on the importance of mediated physical contact. Therefore, we proposed a huggable interface to mediate social touch by sensing the user's hug gestures, transferring them to a paired device, and delivering them as simple cues. We investigated the effect of the huggable interface as a mediator with a physical embodiment and compared it with a similar communication interface represented by an agent with a virtual embodiment on a touch screen. During the experiments, we set up a scenario in which individuals with a close relationship watched movies and communicated with each other. Results showed the effect of both interfaces in terms of perceived social connectedness and stress levels. The discussion pointed out the potential and limitations of the proposed evaluation method, as well as of each type of interface as affective communication technology.