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Inspiration: "Hug Me", as done by Abdolrahim Tooranian
When is the last time you've had a hug?
Though one might not think of hugs as a necessary means for survival, they sure make life a lot better. Other than being a great way to share some love, hugs bring with them a lot of benefits. Hugs can not only boost the immune system and reduce inflamation and stress, they also improve one's mood and improve cardiovascular health. They also improve one's self-esteem by boosting serotonin levels, increase the feeling of belonging by boosting oxytocin levels and increase feelings of safety. A famous quote by family-therapist Virginia Satir, is: "We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth."
However, when I ask people when they last had a hug, their responses are concerning...
This same concern was felt when I read Abdolrahim's work. A creature that asks for hugs is a wonderful concept, as I agree, the need for intimacy and emotional connection is fundamental. However, the creature he created, was then forever denied those hugs, which is a truly heartbreaking thought. It made me think about all the people that wish to just get a hug, but fear they are too "spikey" to be deserving of one. As someone who is convinced that everyone who desperately needs a hug, deserves one, I decided to make my theme unconditional love / acceptance, that adapts no matter what it is faced with.
It has been proven that receiving hugs from plushies gives a similar oxytocin release as hugging a human will, in turn lowering stress and even reducing feelings of depression and anxiety. It can even help people who are struggling with grief, as it helps people feel less alone.
As a result of this, one might wonder what effect hugging a robot will have. After looking into this further, the HuggieBot was found, as shown on the right. The HuggieBot is an example of a robot that will hug anyone it comes into contact with. It can hold still, rub a persons back, pat the person on the back or tighten the hug, and will adjust its embrace to the size and position of the persons body. Studies show it has a real effect on people. The participants stated that the hug they received gave them a "sense of security and comfort" and even described the hugs felt as "a comforting hug from a mother" and "hugging a lover". Most of them agreed on thinking the experience was great, with 40% of them stating that they actually came to think of the HuggieBot as their friend. This shows that receiving hugs from a non-human, interactive creature, can have great positive effects on people and their mental state.
The HuggieBot, IEEE Spectrum 2022
As I stated before, when I saw Abdolrahim's unhuggable creature, I felt very sad for the poor creature. I am convinced that with enough love, compromise and understanding, the gap as described in the following sentence "we long for intimacy and connection but some forces keep us apart", can always be bridged. Because of this, I have come up with a creature that can hug anything and anyone, no matter the shape or form. Hopefully it will give the viewer a sense of "I deserve love too, no matter how messed up I might seem or think I am".
Pin Art Mould, Flipkart 2025
Artificial Creature
Visual
"Hug you!" is a creature made of pins, as shown in the image on the left. This creature will have a skeleton consisting of two arms with hands, a belly and a head with two big eyes and a mouth (in the shape of a small smile). The muscles/"body" of the torso will be made up entirely out of pins. There will be a sign next to the artificial creature that reads "let me hug you!".
Behavior
The eyes will have a camera in them, which will look at the person approaching. When it sees someone looking, it will measure their approximate diameter and stretch its arms out accordingly. It will then proceed to make a "come-hither" motion with its hands, in an attempt to coax someone towards itself. If the viewer appears to be hesitating, it will also slowly nod at them as a soft encouragement. Once approached by the person, and hugged, it will slowly close its arms around the person. The pins will adjust according to the persons frame, ensuring that the person is hugged in their entirety. It will then proceed to hold on to this person for 12 seconds, to allow for maximum serotonin and oxytocin release. While hugging, the creature will let out a soft, relieved "hmm", to indicate feelings of relief and to give the person hugging the creature a sense of relief as well by letting them know it is okay to enjoy this. Once done, the creature will let go, look the person in the eyes and say "thank you, that was a very nice hug!". It will then, once the person has taken enough of a step back, slightly tilt forward to readjust all of its pins and get back into starting position.
References
Erica Cirin, Healthline (2018, 11 April). What Are the Benefits of Hugging?
https://www.healthline.com/health/hugging-benefits?c=1380207967712#2-Hugs-may-protect-you-against-illness
The Plush Kingdom, (2023, 5 July). The Science Behind Why Cuddling A Plushie Is Good For You.
https://theplushkingdom.com.au/blogs/blog/the-science-behind-why-cuddling-a-plushie-is-good-for-you
Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum (2022, 31 March). The 11 Commandments of Hugging Robots.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/robot-hugs
Pin Art Mould, retrieved 24 February 2025.
https://www.flipkart.com/iris-classic-3d-pin-art-board-toy-sculptures-impression-hand-mold-great-kids-dimension-15-cm-x-6-red/p/itm75d4c44277627
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