Animacy and the Eye of the Beholder: A Mixed-Methods Study on Cognitive Animacy with a Kinetic Origami Surface

Paper Title

Animacy and the Eye of the Beholder: A Mixed-Methods Study on Cognitive Animacy with a Kinetic Origami Surface

Publication Info

• Topic area: Cognitive animacy perception in human-agent interaction using a kinetic origami surface.
• Keywords: Animacy perception, embodied cognition, kinetic origami, biological motion, human-agent interaction, mixed-methods study, EEG, Godspeed Questionnaire, spatial-scale agents, behavioural interaction design.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Existing research on animacy perception focuses on passive observation or predefined interactions, often biased by anthropomorphic or zoomorphic form factors. There is limited understanding of animacy perception in non-anthropomorphic/non-zoomorphic agents, especially at spatial scales.
• Significance: Understanding animacy perception is critical for designing interactive systems and agents that foster engagement, empathy, and meaningful interaction in HCI and HRI contexts.
• Motivation and related work: Prior work has explored animacy through motion cues, biological motion principles, and robotic agents, but lacks analytical evaluation of non-biomimetic form factors. This paper addresses the gap by studying animacy perception in a morphologically abstract, spatial-scale kinetic agent.

Solution

• Proposed approach: A robotically actuated kinetic origami surface designed to evoke animacy through biological motion principles and behavioural ambiguity.
• Novelty:
  1. Development of a spatial-scale kinetic origami surface as an animate agent.
  2. Application of mixed-methods evaluation combining EEG, Godspeed Questionnaire, video observations, and interviews.
  3. Identification of embodied exploration and morphological/behavioural ambiguity as key design heuristics for animacy perception.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Design of a modular origami surface using Triaxial Woven Fabric for durability, scalability, and shape-changing capabilities.
  • Implementation of four motion patterns (Breathing, Responding, Probing, Adapting) to test animacy perception.
  • Experimental setup with 19 participants observing and engaging with the prototype under seated and walking conditions.
  • Data collection using EEG, GSQ evaluations, video recordings, and qualitative interviews.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • EEG analysis showed significant differences in alpha and gamma-band power between motion patterns, suggesting varying levels of engagement and attention.
  • GSQ ratings indicated higher animacy perception during embodied engagement (walking phase) compared to passive observation (seated phase).
  • Participants attributed animacy, agency, and emotional states to the prototype, with interpretations influenced by motion patterns, morphological abstraction, and embodied interaction.
• Advantage over baselines: The study demonstrated that embodied exploration amplifies animacy perception, and morphological/behavioural ambiguity widens interpretive space, enabling richer cognitive attributions compared to static visual stimuli.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Mixed-methods approach combining EEG data, GSQ evaluations, qualitative interviews, and video observations.
  • Analysis of GSQ scores for anthropomorphism, animacy, likeability, perceived intelligence, and perceived safety across four motion patterns and two experimental phases.
  • EEG preprocessing and cluster-based permutation tests to identify neural activation patterns.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Small sample size and exclusion of Phase-2 EEG data due to motion artifacts limit causal claims on neural activation.
  • Absence of interactivity in the prototype restricts exploration of interactive animacy perception.
  • Future work will focus on integrating interactivity and refining EEG methodologies for embodied engagement scenarios.

Summary

This study investigates cognitive animacy perception through a robotically actuated kinetic origami surface, leveraging biological motion principles and behavioural ambiguity. Results from EEG, GSQ evaluations, and qualitative analysis show that embodied engagement significantly enhances animacy perception, with participants attributing agency and emotional states to the prototype. Morphological abstraction and ambiguity emerged as effective design strategies for fostering subjective interpretations of animacy. The findings contribute to the design of non-anthropomorphic agents, offering insights into creating engaging, animate systems for HCI and HRI applications.