Cuddle-Fish: Exploring a Soft Floating Robot with Flapping Wings for Physical Interactions
Fuente:
arXiv
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2025
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | |
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| _version_ | 1866918267761721344 |
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| author | Xu, Mingyang Shao, Jiayi Ju, Yulan Shen, Ximing Gao, Qingyuan Chen, Weijen Zhang, Qing Pai, Yun Suen Barbareschi, Giulia Hoppe, Matthias Minamizawa, Kouta Kunze, Kai |
| author_facet | Xu, Mingyang Shao, Jiayi Ju, Yulan Shen, Ximing Gao, Qingyuan Chen, Weijen Zhang, Qing Pai, Yun Suen Barbareschi, Giulia Hoppe, Matthias Minamizawa, Kouta Kunze, Kai |
| contents | Flying robots, such as quadrotor drones, offer new possibilities for human-robot interaction but often pose safety risks due to fast-spinning propellers, rigid structures, and noise. In contrast, lighter-than-air flapping-wing robots, inspired by animal movement, offer a soft, quiet, and touch-safe alternative. Building on these advantages, we present Cuddle-Fish, a soft flapping-wing floating robot designed for close-proximity interactions in indoor spaces. Through a user study with 24 participants, we explored their perceptions of the robot and experiences during a series of co-located demonstrations in which the robot moved near them. Results showed that participants felt safe, willingly engaged in touch-based interactions with the robot, and exhibited spontaneous affective behaviours, such as patting, stroking, hugging, and cheek-touching, without external prompting. They also reported positive emotional responses towards the robot. These findings suggest that the soft floating robot with flapping wings can serve as a novel and socially acceptable alternative to traditional rigid flying robots, opening new potential for applications in companionship, affective interaction, and play in everyday indoor environments. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_01293 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Cuddle-Fish: Exploring a Soft Floating Robot with Flapping Wings for Physical Interactions Xu, Mingyang Shao, Jiayi Ju, Yulan Shen, Ximing Gao, Qingyuan Chen, Weijen Zhang, Qing Pai, Yun Suen Barbareschi, Giulia Hoppe, Matthias Minamizawa, Kouta Kunze, Kai Human-Computer Interaction Robotics Flying robots, such as quadrotor drones, offer new possibilities for human-robot interaction but often pose safety risks due to fast-spinning propellers, rigid structures, and noise. In contrast, lighter-than-air flapping-wing robots, inspired by animal movement, offer a soft, quiet, and touch-safe alternative. Building on these advantages, we present Cuddle-Fish, a soft flapping-wing floating robot designed for close-proximity interactions in indoor spaces. Through a user study with 24 participants, we explored their perceptions of the robot and experiences during a series of co-located demonstrations in which the robot moved near them. Results showed that participants felt safe, willingly engaged in touch-based interactions with the robot, and exhibited spontaneous affective behaviours, such as patting, stroking, hugging, and cheek-touching, without external prompting. They also reported positive emotional responses towards the robot. These findings suggest that the soft floating robot with flapping wings can serve as a novel and socially acceptable alternative to traditional rigid flying robots, opening new potential for applications in companionship, affective interaction, and play in everyday indoor environments. |
| title | Cuddle-Fish: Exploring a Soft Floating Robot with Flapping Wings for Physical Interactions |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction Robotics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.01293 |