Sharing a Robotic Pet as a Maintenance Strategy for Romantic Couples in Long-Distance Relationships.

Abstract

Furfur is a robotic pet, designed to create feelings of closeness and togetherness for couples in long-distance relationships. Over a period of 200 days, the first author developed different versions of Furfur and applied it to his own long-distance relationship in the sense of an autobiographical design exploration. The paper summarizes key findings and reflects upon the design process itself.