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arXiv · 2602.04787

PuppetAI: A Customizable Platform for Designing Tactile-Rich Affective Robot Interaction

Jiaye Li·Tongshun Chen·Siyi Ma·Elizabeth Churchill·Ke Wu
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Abstract

We introduce PuppetAI, a modular soft robot interaction platform. This platform offers a scalable cable-driven actuation system and a customizable, puppet-inspired robot gesture framework, supporting a multitude of interaction gesture robot design formats. The platform comprises a four-layer decoupled software architecture that includes perceptual processing, affective modeling, motion scheduling, and low-level actuation. We also implemented an affective expression loop that connects human input to the robot platform by producing real-time emotional gestural responses to human vocal input. For our own designs, we have worked with nuanced gestures enacted by "soft robots" with enhanced dexterity and "pleasant-to-touch" plush exteriors. By reducing operational complexity and production costs while enhancing customizability, our work creates an adaptable and accessible foundation for future tactile-based expressive robot research. Our goal is to provide a platform that allows researchers to independently construct or refine highly specific gestures and movements performed by social robots.

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Jiaye Li, Tongshun Chen, Siyi Ma, Elizabeth Churchill, Ke Wu. 2026-02-04. PuppetAI: A Customizable Platform for Designing Tactile-Rich Affective Robot Interaction. https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.04787

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