Beyond Moving Appendages: Breathing Together as Bodily Sympathy in a Relational, Soma-Informed Human–Robot Encounter

作者：Yicheng Xu, Kristina Mah, Marius Hoggenmüeller, Yaron Meron, Javier Martín, Yidan Cao, Yi Zhao, Lanxin Li, Wendy Qi Zhang, Lian Loke · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1145/3802974.3809421 · 研究领域：Social Robot Interaction and HRI、Geographies of human-animal interactions、Action Observation and Synchronization

Research in Human–Robot Interaction (HRI) has shifted beyond anthropomorphic representation and speech toward non-verbal modes of expression. A key strand of this work demonstrates that movement quality influences interpretations of robotic agency. However, far less is known about how such meaning emerges through lived bodily engagement. In this paper, we report on a design workshop with eight participants, which investigated how soma-informed engagement with robotic appendages–artificial structures that extend the body–can facilitate bodily sympathy in human–robot encounters. Through embodied scenario-building and soma-informed bodystorming methods, participants co-designed robotic appendages, explored guided movement, and collaboratively enacted non-verbal interaction scenarios. Qualitative analysis of annotated prototype outcomes, video data, and group reflections reveals that appendages operate as relational amplifiers, enabling expressive behaviours to emerge through situated human–robot entanglement rather than through predefined social cues. We outline how soma-informed co-design can support the emergence of other-than-human robotic identities, advancing HRI toward embodied and relational interaction paradigms.