The Third Between Us

In physical environments, people perceive their surroundings by sharing sensory information such as vision and hearing while establishing joint attention with one another. In virtual environments, however, achieving this sense of *being together* remains a significant challenge.

In this research, we propose *The Third Between Us*, an interactive experience that enables users to share the presence of virtual entities while preserving the sense of co-presence in a shared physical space. Even without visual cues, humans can perceive the presence of others through subtle sensory signals such as vibrations and environmental sounds. Building on this observation, we investigate the potential of conveying the co-presence of invisible virtual people and objects through non-visual modalities. We introduce a *Shared Vibroscape*, which integrates spatial audio and haptic feedback to present the presence of virtual entities. By seamlessly connecting virtual and physical spaces through shared spatial audio and wearable-free haptic interfaces, our approach allows multiple users occupying the same physical environment to perceive and share the presence of invisible virtual entities together.

▶︎ Exhibition at TOKYO NODE, Toranomon Hills, The Third Between Us

January 29–31, 2026, TOKYO NODE, Toranomon Hills, Tokyo, TOKYO PROTOTYPE 2026

*The Third Between Us* is a two-person interactive installation that combines an Haptics LED floor display, vibrations transmitted through the feet, and spatial audio that dynamically responds to the participants’ head movements.

Standing together on the same floor, participants share a continuously evolving landscape that transitions through scenes such as a train, the seaside, a forest, and a bustling city. As footsteps, whispers, and subtle vibrations travel across the space, they begin to sense the presence of an invisible third entity. Unlike conventional VR experiences that immerse individuals in isolated virtual worlds, this work encourages two participants to remain aware of each other’s facial expressions and gestures while collaboratively constructing a shared imaginary world.

▶︎ Exhibition at the Mori Art Museum, Roppongi, Ambient Avatar — Who Owns the Echo?

March 22, 2025 · Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Associated Event for Machine Love: Video Games, AI and Contemporary Art: Workshop on Exploring the Boundaries Between Imagination and Creation with AI

People have long connected through their voices—but now AI also has a “voice.” As the boundary between humans and machines grows increasingly blurred, how much of our dialogue can still be called “human”? If AI and human voices were to share the same identity, where would people draw the line between “human” and “AI”?

At an exhibition held on 22 March 2025, we combined haptics from chairs with spatial sound to spatially present the ‘presence of avatars’ around the participants. We implemented an immersive installation that made it feel as if avatars, a fusion of humans and AI, were actually there, questioning where ‘humanity’ lies in the age of AI.