UC Santa Cruz

Applied Cuteness Research (ACR) is a multimedia virtual reality installation where audiences can play with an artificially generated entity called cutie through embodied interaction. Anyone who enters the space is invited to “hug cuties in virtual reality.” ACR consists of a social gathering space and a VR experience that encourages audiences to observe and interact during the exhibit. This work offers an interdisciplinary approach to researching art and technology. It captures a snapshot of our current moral and social aptitudes that can serve as freeze frame of our attitudes toward technology for future reference by practitioners in any field.