Designing a Shape-Changing Table- Top Interface to Enhance Bodily Experience in a Therapeutic Context

This paper explores the physical kinetic interaction of a shape-changing interface (SCI) for the enrichment of bodily activity in a therapeutic context. In recent years, the use of human bodily movement as a major modality for a game interface has been explored in the field of interaction design, even in a therapeutic context. Previously, we developed MoleBot [2], a SCI based on an XY stage system, which uses the change in the shape of a table surface to embody only the user’s movements via kinetic interaction. Here, we explore questions regarding how an SCI can enrich bodily experience, and what elements of an SCI need to be designed in order to motivate and amplify the user’s bodily experience in a therapeutic context. Thus, we conducted a co-design process with therapists with the aim of promoting the user’s bodily experience using an SCI. (figure1)