Digital communication is instant, but current forms often lack emotional depth. For couples in long-distance relationships, texting and video calls can feel routine or insufficient. Octoping responds to the emotional gap left by traditional communication tools, exploring how playful, spontaneous gesture expression through soft robotics can help partners stay emotionally connected across distances, without needing words.
Can emotions travel better through tentacles than texts?
Long-distance relationships are often defined by an emotional gap that text messages or video calls can never fully bridge. The lack of physicality, like a hug or a reassuring touch, creates a sense of separation that leaves many couples feeling disconnected. This inability to fully communicate often leads to misunderstandings and petty arguments that could easily be avoided if the couple had a better way to reassure each other and emotionally express themselves.
Octoping is a pair of remotely connected communication devices in the form of expressive octopus companions, designed to help long-distance couples spontaneously reach out to (ping) each other and playfully share how they feel, without the need for words. To do so, the project applies recent research in string-controlled mechanical tentacles and explores using this type of soft robotics in a new context: communicating emotions through motion gestures.
The octopuses are designed to act as if they share a telepathic bond; when one octopus is manipulated, it’s counterpart awakens and mirrors the motions to serve as a medium for emotional expression.
We used iterative prototyping, exploring interaction possibilities, robotic tentacle forms, and user test feedback. The outer design is playful and approachable, making it easy for users to project their emotions through their octopus companions.
Octoping emphasizes creativity of expression, allowing couples to discover their own gestures and interactions that reflect their relationship's quirks & idiosyncrasies. These moments of play and care can help partners feel emotionally supported, even when apart. While it cannot replace being together, Octoping shows how design can make digital connections feel warmer, more human, and better for our wellbeing.
