Spiderhand: Towards Quasi-Direct Interaction with Unpleasant Creatures Using Muscle-controlled Robotic Arm

Abstract

Although encounters with spiders are commonplace for people almost everywhere in the world, fear of spiders is one of the most frequently diagnosed phobias and immediate contact is widely perceived as unfavourable. We present a system for indirect, quasi-tangible interaction with spiders, to be applied in an exhibition context - a robotic arm, steered through gestural input, which mimics user’s actions and enables indirect physical interaction with the spider. The proof-of-concept prototype has been tested with N=15 users in museum-like environment. The concept of implementing an interactive modality to the exhibition was commented as an asset in terms amusement and education aiding, whilst being also a promising endeavour towards phobia-overcoming exercise.