Augmented Body Communicator: Enhancing daily body expression for people with upper limb limitations through LLM and a robotic arm

Individuals with upper limb movement limitations face challenges in interacting with others. Although robotic arms are currently used primarily for functional tasks, there is considerable potential to explore ways to enhance users' body language capabilities during social interactions. This paper introduces an Augmented Body Communicator system that integrates robotic arms and a large language model. Through the incorporation of kinetic memory, disabled users and their supporters can collaboratively design actions for the robot arm. The LLM system then provides suggestions on the most suitable action based on contextual cues during interactions. The system underwent thorough user testing with six participants who have conditions affecting upper limb mobility. Results indicate that the system improves users' ability to express themselves. Based on our findings, we offer recommendations for developing robotic arms that support disabled individuals with body language capabilities and functional tasks.

Cuddle-Fish: Exploring a Soft Floating Robot with Flapping Wings for Physical Interactions

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 \textit{Cuddle-Fish}, a soft, flapping-wing floating robot designed for safe, 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 possibilities for companionship, play, and interactive experiences in everyday indoor environments.