From Alien to Ally: Exploring Non-Verbal Communication with Non-Anthropomorphic Avatars in a Collaborative Escape-Room

Despite the spread of technologies in the physical world and the normalization of virtual experiences, non-verbal communication with radically non-anthropomorphic avatars remains an underexplored frontier. We present an interaction system in which two participants must learn to communicate with each other non-verbally through a digital filter that morphs their appearance. In a collaborative escape room, the Visitor must teach a non-anthropomorphic physical robot to play, while the Controller, in a different location, embodies the robot with an altered perception of the environment and the Visitor’s companion in VR. This study addresses the design of the activity, the robot, and the virtual environment, with a focus on how the Visitor’s morphology is translated in VR. Results show that participants were able to develop emergent and effective communication strategies, with the Controller naturally embodying its avatar’s narrative, making this system a promising testbed for future research on human-technology interaction, entertainment, and embodiment.