Despite the spread of technologies in the physical world and the normalization of virtual experiences, non-verbal communication with radically non-anthropomorphic avatars remains an underexplored frontier. We present an interaction system in which two participants must learn to communicate with each other non-verbally through a digital filter that morphs their appearance. In a collaborative escape room, the Visitor must teach a non-anthropomorphic physical robot to play, while the Controller, in a different location, embodies the robot with an altered perception of the environment and the Visitor’s companion in VR. This study addresses the design of the activity, the robot, and the virtual environment, with a focus on how the Visitor’s morphology is translated in VR. Results show that participants were able to develop emergent and effective communication strategies, with the Controller naturally embodying its avatar’s narrative, making this system a promising testbed for future research on human-technology interaction, entertainment, and embodiment.

We are investigating interaction with entities showing features different from humans', to understand how they can be embodied as avatars and perceived as living, social beings. To push this investigation to its limit, we have designed as an avatar an interactive space (the Room), that challenges both the anthropomorphic structure, and most of the social interaction mechanisms we are used to. We introduce a first framework for the Room design, addressing challenges related to its body, perception, and interaction process. We present a pilot implementation of some of the aspects of the framework as an interactive installation, namely a real-time, two-player, VR experience, featuring the Room avatar, with a focus on haptic feedback as the main means of perception for the subject embodying the Room. By radically challenging anthropomorphism, we seek to investigate the most basic aspects of embodiment and social cognition.