Human-scale inflatable robots that respond to users’ movements offer a unique opportunity to explore embodied and relational interaction. Yet, little is known about how their form and interactive behaviour shape engagement and perception. This study presents three inflatable robots designed to explore different levels of user control: Barrel affords high user freedom, allowing approach or retreat; Chair introduces partial constraint through a semi-enclosing structure; Jacket envelops the user, with movement largely determined by the robot. Across all systems, robot motion responds to user behaviour in semi-random ways, contributing to a sense of agency. Participants engaged through a think-aloud protocol, followed by semi-structured interviews and a drawing activity. Findings show that, in the absence of clear prior models, participants actively constructed interpretations of behaviour, attributing agency and intention, while variations in control shaped trust and relational dynamics. These results offer insights for designing human-scale soft robots that support rich, embodied interaction.

As robots are increasingly designed to take on relational qualities, new methods are needed to explore how their form, movement, and presence shape connection. We introduce puppetry as an embodied design practice in which designers and users inhabit and control physical prototypes to examine relational qualities before technical implementation. We ground this in equine-assisted interventions, where horses act as relational partners: their unpredictability, reciprocity, and embodied risk require humans to attune and regulate emotions. We utilised puppeteering to re-enact these dynamics safely through movement, materiality, and interaction, surfacing how such qualities may inform relational robots. Our findings show that puppeteering functions as a generative practice: movement becomes inquiry, playful performance reveals affective states, and low-fidelity prototypes enable safe exploration of relational complexity. Puppetry thus offers a pathway for developing robots as autonomous, equal partners; revealing insights into agency, co-embodiment, and materiality, often overlooked in traditional prototyping.

Equine-Assisted Interventions (EAIs) aim to improve participant health and well-being through the development of a therapeutic relationship with a trained horse. These interventions leverage the horse’s ability to provide emotional feedback, as it responds to negative non-verbal cues with reciprocal negativity, thereby encouraging participants to regulate their emotions and achieve attunement with the horse. Despite their benefits, EAIs face significant challenges, including logistical, financial, and resource constraints, which hinder their widespread adoption and accessibility. To address these issues, we conducted an autoethnographic study of the lead researcher’s engagement in an EAI to investigate the underlying mechanisms and explore potential technological alternatives. Our findings suggest that the reciprocal and responsive non-verbal communication, combined with the horse’s considerable physical presence, supports the potential of an embodied robotic system as a viable alternative. Such a system could offer a scalable and sustainable solution to the current limitations of EAIs.

To reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the UK government is replacing domestic gas boilers with heat pumps, necessitating an understanding of the challenges faced by users in adopting this new technology. We surveyed 50 early adopters of heat pumps and conducted 23 follow-up interviews to explore their experiences of installation and adaptation. Using Thematic Analysis, we identified key themes within the framework of social practice theory, highlighting important implications for enhancing heat pump installation and adoption processes. Our findings suggest that improved infrastructural support, user education, and adaptive design can enhance engagement and satisfaction, shaping future policy and design strategies for renewable home energy systems. We aim to further understanding on the complexities of heat pump adoption and offer strategies to support a smoother transition to sustainable heating within the home.