K / S

Project name

Morphing Identity

Description

Exploring the facial boundaries between self and other

Role

Researcher / Engineer

Updated Date

2025.01.20

We explored continuous changes in self-other identity by designing an interpersonal facial morphing experience where the facial images of two users are blended and then swapped over time. Both users’ facial images are displayed side by side, with each user controlling their own morphing facial images, allowing us to create and investigate a multifaceted interpersonal experience. To explore this with diverse social relationships, we conducted qualitative and quantitative investigations through public exhibitions. We found that there is a window of self-identification as well as a variety of interpersonal experiences in the facial morphing process. From these insights, we synthesized a Self-Other Continuum represented by a sense of agency and facial identity. This continuum has implications in terms of the social and subjective aspects of interpersonal communication, which enables further scenario design and could complement findings from research on interactive devices for remote communication.

Where is the boundary of self? How do we feel and interact with each other? We explored continuous changes in self-other identity by designing an interpersonal facial morphing experience where the facial images of two users are blended and then swapped over time.

With Morphing Identity system, two users’ facial images are displayed side by side, with each user controlling their own morphing facial images, allowing us to create and investigate a multifaceted interpersonal experience.

To explore this with diverse social relationships, we conducted qualitative and quantitative investigations through public exhibitions, beyond the lab environment.

Our findings suggest a window of self-identification and a variety of interpersonal experiences in the facial morphing process.

We synthesized a Self-Other Continuum, with implications for interpersonal communication and interactive devices for remote communication.

Credits

Kye Shimizu

Santa Naruse (Sony CSL)

Jun Nishida (Sony CSL / University of Maryland)

Shunichi Kasahara (Sony CSL)

Thanks

Naoto Ienaga

Maki Sugimoto

Taku Tanichi (Sony CSL)

Kazuma Takada (Sony CSL / OIST)

Media

Exhibitions

ACM SIGGRAPH Emerging Technologies / Los Angeles, California / Los Angeles Convention Center

ACM CHI Interactivity Session / Hamburg, Germany / Congress Center Hamburg

YCAM InterLab Camp Vol.4 Digital Embodied Co-Creations / Yamaguchi, Japan / YCAM

You and Robots, What is it to be Human? / Tokyo, Japan / Miraikan

Digital Contents EXPO 2021” / Tokyo, Japan / Makuhari Messe

Research for the Future of Humanity / Tokyo, Japan / Sony Park Exhibition

Media Ambition Tokyo 2021 / Tokyo, Japan / Mori Art Building