designLAB & TXT
UNTOUCHED
Mixed media installation
Will robots replace our need for touch and interaction with other human beings in the near future? If texting and screen-based social media have been able to replace much of our face-to-face interaction, what will happen when robots are able to provide us with tactile experiences?
UNTOUCHED is a work that explores what the future of tactility will be in relation to technological advances such as AI and VR. Through the robot, it addresses the need for touch from a human, using fabric that replicates human skin texture (giving goosebumps) and fake hands that trick the user. Is touching an action for two people, or an action for one person?
How will our user experience change as advertisers and places like the metaverse recreate and reproduce tactile perception? How will tactile VR affect the evolution of the human body? How will the changing structure of technology rearrange the form and function of the body? Is touching an action for two people or an action for one person?